Black Tower, Medieval fortified tower in Pentagon, Brussels, Belgium
The Black Tower is a semi-circular tower of rough sandstone rubble, its extra-muros face partly covered by ivy at ground level. Above two vertical arrow slits, a stone band separates a low upper level pierced by wide openings that survive from the original crenellations. A corbelled stone cornice carries the dark grey conical roof, and a short fragment of the city wall adjoins it on the right.
The tower was built in the early 1200s as part of the city's first defensive walls. After newer city fortifications were constructed, it lost its military purpose and became a tavern before undergoing restoration in the late 1800s.
The tower appears in Marc Sleen's comic series 'The Adventures of Nero', which introduced it to generations of Belgian readers. This comic presence helped keep the building alive in local popular culture and made it more recognizable to residents.
The tower stands on Place Sainte-Catherine, behind the Church of St. Catherine, a short walk from Boulevard Anspach and Place de Brouckère. A modern hotel now masks the intra-muros side, so only the semi-circular extra-muros face, partly covered in ivy at ground level, can be seen from the street.
The tower faced demolition in 1888 during sewage construction works, but Mayor Charles Buls intervened to save it. He commissioned architect Victor Jamaer to restore the building, preserving it for future generations.
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