Mons’ belfry lights up for European Capital of Culture 2015 celebrations

Mons’ historic belfry turned on its new lights on Sunday evening to herald the city’s new-found status as European Capital of Culture 2015. Official celebrations of this cultural extravaganza will kick off on 24 January.

The city’s 17th-century Baroque belfry is a UNESCO world heritage site and has been transformed, thanks to innovative lighting installations, into the appearance of a lighthouse that will guide visitors to Mons throughout the year.

The lighting effects, which include beams of light that stream out from the top of the belfry, are the work of Koert Vermeulen, whose other lighting projects have included the Christmas illuminations on Brussels’ Grand’Place and Paris’ Champs-Elysées. Vermeulen and his team have been busy installing, when weather permitted, 150 LED spotlights on the stone walls linked together by 2 kilometres of cable since 12 December.

From spring onwards, the belfry will host a centre that will bring to life the monument’s intriguing history.  Mons is the European Capital of Culture in 2015 together with the Czech city of Plzeň.