Tournai - Grand'Place
The large triangular Grand'Place is lined by gabled houses most of which are restored. In the center stands the bronze statue of Christine de Lalaing (Princess d'Espinoy) under whose leadership the town was defended during the siege of 1581. On the northwest side of the square is the Eglise Saint-Quentin, originally a Romanesque building of the 12th C., which was burnt down during the Second World War and has been restored.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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On the south side of the square stands the former Hall aux Draps (cloth hall) which replaces a wooden predecessor blown away in 1601 in a storm. The hall was begun in 1610 but part of it fell down in 1881 and three years later it was rebuilt. It now serves as an exhibition and function center.
All museums in Tournai can be reached easily on foot from the Grand'Place.
All museums in Tournai can be reached easily on foot from the Grand'Place.
Related Attractions
Grand'Place Belfry
On the west side of the square rises the 72m/236ft-high belfry, the oldest bell-tower in Belgium. The first four stories were built in 1200 and completed in 1294 with the topmost story and the spire. After a fire in 1391 the tower was rebuilt; the first carillon was mounted in 1392 of which two of the 43 bells of the present ring remain.
The tower is a UNESCO site.
The tower is a UNESCO site.
Hours
January 1 to December 31
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 10:00 | Closed | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 |
| Close | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | |
| Open | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | |
| Close | 17:30 | 17:30 | 17:30 | 17:30 | 17:30 | 17:30 |
Always closed on:
New Year's Day (January 1)
Remembrance Day / 1918 Armistice Day (November 11)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Remembrance Day / 1918 Armistice Day (November 11)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Guides
Interpretive sessions sometimes available.
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Musée de Folklore
The Musée de Folklore is accommodated in a house with twin gables dating from 1673 (Maison Tournaissienne) not far from the cloth hall; it is devoted to customs and handicrafts of the town and its rural surroundings. Particularly charming are the many rooms reminiscent of the past with puppets and original features, such as a shoemaker's workshop, a woolworkers' workshop (so-called "baloitil"), a farm kitchen and a printing press. On the second floor there is a large model of Tournai in the year 1701.
Hours
January 1 to December 31
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 10:00 | Closed | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 |
| Close | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | |
| Open | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | |
| Close | 17:30 | 17:30 | 17:30 | 17:30 | 17:30 | 17:30 |
Always closed on:
New Year's Day (January 1)
Remembrance Day / 1918 Armistice Day (November 11)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Remembrance Day / 1918 Armistice Day (November 11)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Musée de la Tapisserie
The most recent museum in the town, opened in 1990, can be found in the Place Reine Astrid; it is concerned with carpet weaving which has been carried on in Tournai since the 15th C. It not only tells the story of the craft and exhibits old examples, but visitors can also watch a carpet being made in the workshop.
Hours
July 1 to August 31
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 |
| Close | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
September 1 to June 30
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 9:30 | Closed | 9:30 | 9:30 | 9:30 | 9:30 | 9:30 |
| Close | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | |
| Open | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | |
| Close | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
Always closed on:
New Year's Day (January 1)
Remembrance Day / 1918 Armistice Day (November 11)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Remembrance Day / 1918 Armistice Day (November 11)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Natural History Museum
From the belfry Rue Saint-Martin leads west and from it an archway opens into the courtyard of the Abbey of Saint-Martin (1642-1701), founded in the 11th C., the largest Benedictine abbey in Belgium before the French Revolution. In one wing is accommodated the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle (Natural History Museum) which is principally notable for a fine collection of birds; the palace of the abbots, a work of Dewez from 1743, is now the headquarters of the town administration.
