Beffroi de Bailleul

The 62-metre-high belfry is a massive yellow-brick tower in the Flemish neo-renaissance style. Rebuilt after the 1918 bombings, all that remains of the original edifice is a 12th-century Gothic hall. An exhibition of postcards reminds us that Bailleul was almost totally destroyed during the First World War. After climbing 200 steps, you reach a balcony offering a magnificent panorama of the Monts de Flandre plain. The belfry is topped by a bulbous bell tower, atop which the Mélusine mermaid, weather vane and symbol of the town, watches over the city.