The 17th-century Klokke Roeland bell (1659) in Ghent, Belgium
In 1314 a storm bell was cast by Jan Van Ludeke and Jan Van Roosbeke, called Klokke Roeland, which stayed in the belfry of Ghent until 1659. Then she was destroyed by Pieter Hemony; he melted her 12,000 pounds of bronze into a new carillon of 40 bells. The Great Triumphant was the largest bass clock of this carillon and became known as Klokke Roeland like its predecessor. In 1914, the bell was electrified. The system was not perfect, however, and due to excessive vibrations, a large crack appeared and Klokke Roeland could therefore no longer be used. In 1948 the clock was removed from the tower and replaced with a new one. Klokke Roeland was placed on a pedestal at the foot of the Belfry. In 2002 they decided to repair the crack which had been there for almost 90 years. For this purpose she was taken to the Royal Eijsbouts in Asten in the Netherlands after which she returned to her familiar place. Between 2009 and 2012, the square where it stood was redesigned, so the clock had to move. The renewed square had a concrete building, where originally, the new Mathildis clock had to hang. Due to a disagreement about the Mathildis clock however, the Great Triumphant was hung instead. She may be returned to the belfry at a later stage and serve as a carillon bell. The clock that has been hanging in the Belfry since 1948 and which replaced the Great Triumphant is sometimes also called Klokke Roeland. Her official name though is Saint Michael's Bell and she has no relation with the original Klokke Roeland or the Great Triumphant.
Size: 5760px × 3840px
Location: Emile Braunplein, Ghent, East Flanders, Flanders, Belgium, Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1659, 17th-century, attraction, belfry, belgian, belgium, bell, big, bronze, carillon, cast, clock, close-, closeup, crack, cracked, cultural, culture, east, europe, european, flanders, flemish, folklore, gand, gent, ghent, great, grote, heavy, hemony, heritage, historical, history, instrument, klokke, landmark, medieval, metal, music, musical, pierre, pieter, religion, religious, renaissance, roeland, sightseeing, sunny, tourism, tourist, travel, triomfante, triumphant, visitor
