Why do the restored clocks of Herentals’ Lakenhal matter beyond telling the time?
Herentals has restored the four clock faces on its historic Lakenhal and replaced their motors after one face had remained stopped for about six months.
In 30 seconds
- Herentals restored all four Lakenhal clock faces and replaced their motors.
- The west-facing clock had reportedly been stopped for about six months.
- Technicians also installed energy-efficient LED lighting.
- The city announced follow-up painting of the belfry’s exterior woodwork.
The City of has restored all four clock faces on the Lakenhal belfry at the Grote Markt and replaced their motors, returning the landmark to normal operation after its west-facing clock had stood still for roughly half a year. Technicians used an aerial platform to reach the clocks, according to reports by VRT NWS and Het Nieuwsblad. They also installed more energy-efficient LED lighting. For residents and visitors, no special action is required: the four faces should again show the correct time, although painters may still be working on the tower’s exterior woodwork.
The repair is modest in scale, but highly visible. The belfry stands above the historic centre of this Dutch-speaking gemeente in Antwerp province, and its clocks face different approaches to the Grote Markt. One defective face therefore created an oddly selective version of local time: people arriving from one direction saw a stopped clock while the other three continued running.
RTV reported in February 2026 that the face overlooking the De Zalm and Den Beiaard side had failed. An inspection commissioned by the city found that the motors serving all four clocks needed replacement, rather than only the visibly defective mechanism. Delivery times for the necessary components meant the repair could not be completed immediately. That earlier report helps explain why one of the uurwerken stood still for about six months before the broader intervention was carried out.
The city has not published a detailed technical diagnosis, the contract value or a precise service-life estimate for the new motors. It is therefore safer to describe this as a completed operational repair, followed by exterior painting, rather than as a comprehensive new restoration of the entire Lakenhal or its carillon. The clock faces, their drive mechanisms and the bells are related parts of the tower but are not interchangeable terms: repairing the visible clocks does not by itself mean that all components of the beiaard were renewed.
That distinction matters because the building has several layers of civic history. The Flemish Agency for Immovable Heritage, Agentschap Onroerend Erfgoed, identifies the site as a Gothic cloth hall and belfry at Grote Markt 50. Its heritage inventory says the building was reconstructed in 1534 by Peter Moens and Merten Casus after a major fire in 1512. Herentals had already developed around trade routes and a flourishing cloth industry, while the hall had been described as a town hall from 1430.
The clocks therefore belong to a building that once joined commerce, government and public timekeeping in one place. Before watches and phones made precise time personal, a public clock helped organise markets, work and civic routines. Its contemporary function is less essential, but it remains part of how the square looks and feels. A stationary hand on such a prominent tower is noticed precisely because the structure still acts as a shared reference point.
Herentals’ belfry also forms part of ’s transnational World Heritage property, the . UNESCO describes these towers as symbols of the growth of municipal power and civil liberties in medieval north-western Europe. Its documentation specifically lists the former town hall and cloth hall in Herentals among the protected components. The wider heritage value thus lies not in the clock motors themselves, but in keeping a working civic landmark legible and useful in everyday life.
For newcomers, the terminology can be confusing. Lakenhal means cloth hall, referring to the trade that supported many Low Countries towns. Belfort is belfry, the civic tower associated with municipal authority, bells and timekeeping. Beiaard means carillon, a tuned group of bells played manually or mechanically. In French-language heritage material, these may appear as halle aux draps, beffroi and carillon. Herentals itself operates in Dutch, so municipal notices and on-site wording will normally use the Flemish terms.
The episode also illustrates the unglamorous side of conservation. Visitors usually encounter heritage as finished architecture, yet historic public buildings depend on replaceable motors, wiring, lighting, paint and specialist access equipment. UNESCO says the municipalities owning or using Flemish belfries play a central management role, while interventions affecting protected fabric fall under regional heritage oversight. In practice, preserving a monument often means combining old masonry and craftsmanship with discreet modern systems.
There are two legitimate expectations to balance. Residents and traders around the Grote Markt reasonably want a prominent public clock to work and faults to be resolved promptly. Heritage managers and municipal services, however, must diagnose interconnected equipment, source suitable parts and carry out elevated work without damaging protected fabric. The available reporting does not establish that the delay resulted from neglect; it attributes the wait to inspection and delivery of replacement materials.
Where this is happening
View on map Herentals →For an English-speaking visitor, the useful orientation is straightforward. The Lakenhal is on the Grote Markt in central Herentals, and the restored clock faces can be viewed from the square. Questions about public works, access or possible temporary obstructions should go to Stad Herentals through herentals.be; the city’s Dutch term for reporting a problem is usually melding. Heritage details are available through the Dutch-language Inventaris Onroerend Erfgoed, while UNESCO provides broader information in English and French.
The immediate repair appears complete, and the next announced task is repainting exterior woodwork on the tower. The city has not said how long that finishing work will take or whether it will require restrictions around the building. What deserves watching is whether all four faces remain synchronised after the new motors settle into service—and whether Herentals publishes the cost or maintenance schedule. For now, the most visible outcome is reassuringly ordinary: whichever side of the Grote Markt people approach from, the Lakenhal should tell them the same time.
What to do
If you live, work or visit central Herentals, you can again use any of the four Lakenhal clock faces as a public time reference when crossing the Grote Markt. No action, booking or payment is required, and the reporting identifies no closure, transport change or new cost for residents and visitors. Be aware that follow-up painting of the belfry’s exterior woodwork may still be visible. Anyone planning a visit specifically for photography or an unobstructed heritage view should check current information from Stad Herentals before travelling.
Impact
Regional — The impact is concentrated in Herentals and the wider Kempen area. It improves the appearance and everyday functioning of a central landmark without evidence of broader disruption or a significant regional economic effect.
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Voices & reactions
What the main actors are doing
Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotationsResidents and Grote Markt businesses
People who use the square can reasonably expect a highly visible municipal clock to show the correct time and may question why one face remained stopped for months. For traders and regular passers-by, prompt maintenance also signals care for the historic centre.
Municipal and heritage managers
Services responsible for a protected belfry must inspect interconnected equipment, obtain compatible parts and organise safe work at height. The available reporting attributes the delay to diagnosis and material delivery, and does not establish negligence.
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