Situated on the river Scarpe in France, the town of Douai is just over 40 kilometers from Lille and 25 kilometers from Arras. It is also home to one of Europe’s most amazing belfries, as well as a magnificent, 14th century town gate, known as the Porte de Valenciennes, which has one face built in the Classical style and another in the Gothic.

Douai’s impressive 80 m high Gothic style belfry was built between 1380 and 1391 at the same site as an earlier, less-impressive tower. The structure boasts an impressive carillon - a musical instrument that consists of 62 cast-bronze cup-shaped bells, spanning five octaves, which are played together to create a chord or serially to play a melody. Unfortunately, the occupying Germans removed the original 13th century bells in 1917 during World War I, and intended to melt them down for the metal. Luckily, they were saved and reinstalled in 1924, but 47 of them had to be replaced in 1954. In addition, a large bell in the top of the tower, known as “Joyeuse,” dates back to 1471 and weighs nearly 5.5 tons.