Beffroi de Douai

The Belfry of Douai is the symbolic monument of the town of Douai in the Northern Department. It dominates the town hall and the surrounding region.

The construction of the belfry of Douai was undertaken in 1380 on the site of an earlier wooden tower, to serve as a watchtower. Also a building in the Gothic style was erected on the west side of the tower and a chapel on the south side. The set was completed in 1475 and a carillon was installed in 1391 at the Belfry and rhythm from the lives of Douai.

In the nineteenth century, major restoration work was undertaken and a new building identical to the fifteenth century it was added to the east in order to give the town hall's current symmetrical appearance. This new building features including a hall of Second Empire style. At that time, the structure of the tower, originally built in sandstone of Flanders was reinforced from the inside by a thick brick-and fifteenth-century buildings were restored after the fashion of the nineteenth century.

The bells were cast by the German occupiers in 1917, they were replaced in 1924 by the company Wauthy Douai, but in 1953 the town to give a better sound, replaced by Paccard bell foundry of Annecy-le-Vieux and installed in 1954, 47 bells that complement the two largest dating from 1471 (Foundry Moer), damaged in 1917 but restored by Wauthy the house in 1924: "Happy," one of the 5 500 kg "The disnée" do one of 2 400 kg. The heaviest bell of 1954, "New Victory", a D, weighs 1600 kg. The carillon was finally completed in 1974 at the World Congress and now has 62 carillon bells spanning five octaves. It has a mechanism that allows it to sound each quarter hour melody, but also has a keyboard that allows live music every Saturday from 10:45 to 11:45 and every bank holiday Monday at 11:30 and at 21h in July and August.