Charleroi Belfry

Charleroi's Belfry stands in Digue Square in the lower town and is one of the city's two UNESCO World Heritage designations (the other being the Bois du Cazier). Part of the collective inscription of Belgian and French belfries awarded in 1999, it provides the best elevated views of the lower city and a useful orientation point.

Unlike the medieval belfries of Bruges or Ghent, Charleroi's tower is a 20th-century structure, built in 1936 during one of the city's periods of industrial prosperity. The interior can be visited and holds a carillon that performs on the hour. The square around it is pleasant, with views up to the Ville-Haute on the ridge above.

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A story
Charleroi's belfry stands in the Digue Square in the lower town, which seems an odd place for a civic tower — most Belgian belfries crown a hill or dominate a market square. It was built in 1936 as a relatively modern addition to the city's patrimony, which makes it one of the youngest UNESCO-listed belfries. The carillon inside plays on the hour. The UNESCO designation, awarded in 1999, covers 56 belfries across Belgium and France as examples of civic architecture reflecting municipal independence.