Belfry of Lille, Art Deco belfry in Lille, France
The Belfry of Lille is a 104-metre tower attached to the city hall, built of red brick panels framed by grey concrete columns, with two vertical bands of small windows and a large round clock low on the shaft. Above the brick rises a concrete belfry stage with arched openings, topped by a flat crown. At its base, statues of the giants Lydéric and Phinaert flank the entrance.
The structure was designed and built between 1924 and 1932 by architect Émile Dubuisson, commissioned by the city's socialist administration. It arose during a period when the city was advancing its reconstruction following the First World War.
Lille residents nicknamed the tower "the skyscraper in Flanders" at its 1932 inauguration. At its base, Carlo Sarrabezolles carved the giants Lydéric and Phinaert directly into setting concrete, a technique he pioneered. In local journalism, "the belfry of Lille" can also mean the city hall as an electoral body.
The platform is typically accessible during daytime hours and can be reached by elevator, making the climb easier. Clear weather on a day visit offers the best views, especially in the morning or early afternoon.
The tower was fitted with a rotating 1,000-watt lighthouse lamp whose beam can be seen about 30 km away on a dark night, reaching the sky over Belgium and as far as the North Sea. Its lighting was redesigned in the late 1990s to reduce the light halo over the conurbation.
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