Cityhall of Roeselare

The City Hall of Roeselare stands as one of the defining buildings on the Grote Markt, the main square of this town in West Flanders. It brings together two distinct architectural eras — an 18th-century Rococo town house and a 20th-century belfry tower — combined into a silhouette that is instantly recognizable across the region.

When was the city hall built?

The older section took three years to build, between 1769 and 1771, in the Louis XV style, a variant of Baroque commonly known as Rococo. It was designed by the Bruges architect Hendrik Bultynck, while the small bell turret came from carpenter Jacobus Caytan. At the time, Roeselare belonged to the Lordship of Wijnendale, which is why the coat of arms of Charles Theodore of Bavaria, the manor's lord at that time, was placed at the top of the façade. This heraldic detail still recalls the feudal roots of the town and its dependence on the noble rulers who governed the region during the 18th century.

Where does the belfry tower come from?

Although the current tower next to the city hall dates from 1924, the story of a belfry in Roeselare goes back much further. Around 1260, a cloth hall with its own belfry was built on the same square, a structure that symbolized the town's trading privileges and civic independence. That medieval tower collapsed in 1704, and its remains were only rediscovered during excavations carried out between 1941 and 1979, which clearly revealed the outline of the former complex. The new tower added in 1924 continues this interrupted tradition and, together with St. Michael's Church, now shapes Roeselare's skyline.

Why is the belfry a UNESCO site?

In 1999, the belfry of Roeselare's city hall was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with 55 other belfries in Belgium and France. These towers were recognized as a shared testimony to the growth of municipal self-governance in Western Europe — a symbol of the independence of the burgher class from ecclesiastical and feudal authority, built up from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The listing makes clear that the Roeselare belfry is not simply a local architectural curiosity, but part of a wider regional heritage.

What has changed in recent years?

In the summer of 2024, after two years of intensive construction, the town opened a brand-new, sustainable and accessible city hall. The project restored the historic town hall building, the belfry, and two heritage façades on Zuidstraat. Residents now enter the building again from the Grote Markt, the true heart of the town, through a transparent entrance that links the 18th-century Rococo town hall with the belfry dating from 1923/1924. This architectural solution symbolically bridges the town's old and new identity without losing the character of the historic complex.

Frequently asked questions

Can the Roeselare city hall be visited? The building serves an administrative function, and tours of the historic section take place during events such as Open Monumentendag and on designated open days announced by the town.

What does the coat of arms on the façade represent? The coat of arms belongs to Charles Theodore of Bavaria, the lord of Roeselare at the time the city hall was built in the 18th century, reflecting the town's status within the Lordship of Wijnendale.

Why is the belfry tower significant? The belfry symbolizes the town's historic civic privileges and was recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage in 1999, alongside dozens of other belfries in Belgium and France.