Belfry and Cloth Hall
The Belfry rises above the Lakenhalle (Cloth Hall). The Cloth Hall, dating from 1425 to 1445 (though the finishing touches were not added until 1903), is where cloth was stored and traded and was the gathering place of wool and cloth merchants.
To replace the old Cloth Hall on the Hoogpoort opposite the town hall, construction of a new Cloth Hall was started in 1425 adjacent to the east side of the Belfry. Commercial building in Brabant Gothic style designed by Simon Van Assche. In 1445, seven bays of the eleven-bay design had been completed. In 1903, four bays were added to the north side, and the original 15th-century design was completed. Sint-Baafsplein 2A.
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Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions bet... ... read more 
