Again, for the story, It took me a while , worse when you have family about an hour from the city. But often said, living and visiting are two different things . When in the area stay with family and this time again,however, did it in reverse order, when to see Lille and its sights, (stay tune for posts), and then went to see family. Therefore, let me tell you about the Beffroi of Lille !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Lille or Belfry City/Town Hal of Lille located at the Place Simon Vollant. The extension completed in 1992 gives the building a more contemporary look. You can visit its belfry, it will offer you a panoramic view of Lille. It is open to the public, upon prior reservation at the tourist office, from Tuesday to Sunday from 10h to 13h then from 14h to 17h30.
The Belfry of Lille City/Town Hall, was inaugurated in 1932, is the tallest civil belfry in Europe. The project for its construction resulted from the destruction of the old town hall during the Great War or WWI. It is attached to the City/town hall and forms an architectural ensemble that is both massive, and fine and slender,
The belfry is made of red brick and concrete “sculpted stone style”, thus mixing Art Deco and neo-Flemish architecture, the red brick responding to the green of the plane trees which surround the building. This modern belfry does not contain any bells or chimes. It peaks at 104 meters in height, thus affirming the political and commercial power of the regional capital at the time. The Belfry of Lille is also the tallest municipal building in France. The belfry of the City/town hall was preceded by the belfry of the alderman’s hall of Lille demolished in 1601 and by the former belfry of the town hall of Lille at the Palais Rihour built in 1826 and demolished in 1856.The belfry of the chamber of commerce,(see post) in neo-Flemish style, predates it by a few years. Nicknamed a skyscraper in Flanders by the people of Lille during its inauguration, it remains today, with its 400 steps, the tallest municipal building in France
it is the first reinforced concrete building of this order of magnitude built in France, although it is not an office building unlike contemporary American skyscrapers. The high belfry dominates a set of large rooms characterized by very high ceilings and vast interior spaces. At its base are the statues of Lydéric and Phinaert, representation of the two giants from the legend of the founding of the city. The belfry was designed topped with a rotating lighthouse (1,000 watts today) whose radius of action is perceptible from nearly 30 km away on a dark night. It was classified as a Historic Monument in 2002 and the Belfry is one of the twenty-three belfries in the region of Hauts-de-France which were included, on July 10, 2005, on the Unesco world heritage list.
The City of Lille and the Beffroi : https://www.lille.fr/Nos-equipements/L-hotel-de-ville-et-son-beffroi
The Lille tourist office on the Beffroi : https://en.lilletourism.com/l-hotel-de-ville-et-son-beffroi.html
There you go folks, a dandy city of the Nord that is North of France. I was finally back to Lille and it was great with many family memories flashing but glad I did it now. Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Beffroi of Lille !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 