Gilbert Declercq during the very informative tour
Visit in May 2019
A leap through time
Tien city guides aim to show the distinctive character of Tienen. Gilbert Declercq himself was president from 2002 to 2008, so we are in good hands. We meet with him in the Apostles’ Court next to the church….
Church Belfry, Tienen
Concise history:
Little documentation has survived about the origins of St. Germanus Church, of which the belfry of Tienen is a part. Some sources talk about the 9th century but the first written mention are from much later. It is generally held that the first construction took place at the end of the 12th century. Construction of the present tower began after a fire in 1536. Where two spires adorned the west building before the fire, they were replaced by a new taller tower on its center section. In 1556, the first carillon with six bells was installed (Medardus Waghevens). The tower suffered frequent damage in its early decades: struck by lightning in 1592, set on fire by Dutch troops in 1635, storm damage in 1643 and a massive church fire in 1708. Repair work after this last fire took 10 years and gave the tower the appearance it still has today.
Origins:
Built:
Building Material:
Style period:
Height:
Accessible:
9th century
1536 (current tower)
sandstone, gray quartzite
neo-Romanesque
64 meters
accessible by appointment with Tien Guild Association
Opening hours Tourist Information Office
Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Tourist Information Office also houses the Regional Shop. You can choose from a wide range of museum items, Hageland and other regional products, delicious sweets and interesting books.
Information
Tourism and Heritage Tienen:
Grote Markt 3-6, 3300 Tienen
Call: +32(0)16 80 57 38
Mail: toerisme@tienen.be
Website: tourism.tienen.be
Accommodation options in Tienen
Part of our pre-fun consists of booking accommodation. For us, combining a visit to a belfry with an overnight stay near it completes the experience and gives us more time to gather information.
Hotel Kronacker
Hotel Kronacker has a restaurant, a fitness center, a bar and a garden in Tienen. There is a sun terrace and you can use free Wi-Fi and …
Alpha Hotel
The Alpha Hotel is located in the center of Tienen, a 5-minute walk from Tienen Train Station. It features 17 rooms, 4 deluxe apartments…
B&B Nokernote
Nokernote is rural, a 7-minute drive from the center of Tienen. The bed and breakfast features themed rooms with Wi-Fi. You can walk…
Food and drink
During our visit to Tienen, we spontaneously visited some premises to take care of the inner man as well. If you have any additions or an absolute tip that a visit to Tienen should be culinary with, please send a message to: info@belforten.com.
1. Café the Wheel
So we are from Bussum and have been spoiled by Café de Peuk there for decades. Café the Wheel may call itself the Tenner’s equivalent. As if on autopilot, we were sitting on the terrace in no time with a familiar feeling as if we had been coming there for years. Good pints!
2. Alpha Hotel
We are fortunate to have chosen the Alpha Hotel as our base. The hotel is located in the heart of the city. Before going out to restaurant, we kick off Friday night here with local beer: Wet Lore, delicious! We later regret that driven by curiosity we did not also enjoy dinner here.
3. Brasserie ‘t Wit Paard
The view from ‘t Wit Paard of the Church Our Lady of Tienen is beautiful. Friendly service and a good dish of the day. The value for money was great!
The three most recent posts
On this page we have collected all the relevant information for visiting this belfry. To keep this up to date, we are constantly on our way to one of the 56 belfries on the Unesco World Heritage List. Below are the latest additions.
Theater Kalleke Step
Notice of an unexpected visit to theater Kalleke Step in Grembergen during a planned visit to Dendermonde.
Bayard and the Town Hall of Dendermonde
Report on the visit to Dendermonde City Hall and the Hollandse Kazerne with the common thread: Ros Carillon
Visit Belfry of Dendermonde 2023
Visit Belfry of Dendermonde 2023 Rein had managed to get in touch with Patrick Segers, the head of the Tourism Department in Dendermonde, and make an appointment to tour the Belfry. Not only was Patrick waiting for us in front of the Belfry and City Hall but he turned...