Old carillon bells, Belfort, Bruges 8000, Belgium.
Posted by: 
greysman
N 51° 12.497 E 003° 13.483
31U E 515697 N 5673010
Some of the old bells from the carillon in the Belfort are on display in the Belfort Museum.
Waymark Code: WMXGN7
Location: West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Date Posted: 01/10/2018
Views: 8
There has been a carillon in the Belfort since 1528 when the various bells in the tower were connected to a keyboard. These bells comprised the hour bell and some smaller bells used to chime an alarm before the hour. These small bells increased in number so that a recognisable melody was played on the half hour and on the hour, played from a large rotating drum connected to the clock. Subsequently the bells were also connected to the keyboard so that tunes other than the half-hourly alarms could be played and over the following years more bells were added to make 30 by the C17th. In 1675 one Melchior de Haze from Antwerp cast 35 new bells but these were destroyed when a lightning strike and fire destroyed the tower and all the bells.
This lead to Georgius Dumery being commisioned to provide a new carillon and city bell, this is the famous Dumery carillon dating from 1742-1748 comprising 47 bells with a total weight of some 26943kg ( 59.400 lbs ). In 1969, 21 of the smaller bells were recast by Eijsbouts.
Besides these 47 bells, Dumery with Antoon De Hondt supplied a new clock and drum, weighing 9 ton and cast in brass in one piece, for the mechanical carillon.
The famous Triumph Bell ( cast in 1680 by Melchior de Haze, 5576kg, 12.295 lbs ), also called the 'Bell Maria' came from the Church of Our Lady in 1800. In 1809 it had a new bell frame built for it enabling it to be rung. It used to be rung by hand but today it is rung mechanically by electric motor.
During the restoration of 2010, the 21 non-historical bells where replaced by new bells cast by Royal Eijsbouts that fit perfectly with the Dumery bells.
It is some of the 1742 Dumery bells which are in the small museum on an upper floor of the tower along with interpretive displays and other types of alarm which have been used in the past, in particular an old fire trumpet.
The 21 bells of 1969 are now in the Sound Factory at the Concertgebouw in Bruges where they can be played with a variety of implements.
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