M o n u m e n t s
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2. In case of fire or calamity the tower keepers warned the population by chiming the bells. They also announced dawn and sunset, the beginning of a working day and the putting out of the fires. The bell-ringers had to watch over the town at night from the watch tower.
After their duty they could rest near the heat of the open fire, while another team mounted guard. There's an opening in the wall in which the beam of the fireplace fitted. Only a few traces of the ancient fire construction have been preserved.
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To ensure their privileges, the Ghent people put a terrifying dragon on the spire. The dragon symbolizes watchfulness and the terrifying power of the Ghent community. It consists of an iron trump covered with gilt copper plates. In 1839 it was definitively carried down. A new dragon, a replica of the former one, was made in 1854. During the last restoration works it was revealed that renovation was no longer possible. A new dragon was put on the spire in 1980.
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Last update:14/08/2001 - © 2001 CITY OF GHENT.
