Tournai is a city in Belgium, in the Walloon Region, in the province of Hainaut, the administrative seat of the Tournai-Mouscron arrondissement. On January 1, 2024, it had 68,554 inhabitants. The city has an area of 215.34 km². It is located on the Scheldt. After Tongeren, it is the oldest city in Belgium, and in terms of area, it is the largest city in the province.
- Church of St. Quintin. The nave of this church, built in the Romanesque style, dates back to the end of the 12th century. The transept and the chancel, with a diagonal ribbed vault, are an example of the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style. The chancel is surrounded by 17th-century marble balustrades. The central tower was built in the 13th century. Originally, this tower was decorated with a double triforium (in Romanesque and Gothic buildings, a window or openwork divided into three parts by columns and closed by a triple arcade), but during World War II it was destroyed by German bombing. It was rebuilt in a slightly changed shape.
- Cloth Hall. This building located on the market square was built in the 13th century from wood. However, after being completely destroyed in 1606, it was rebuilt in stone in 1610-1611. Different styles were combined here. The ground floor of the facade, decorated with triangular arches, is pure Gothic, the first floor is Renaissance, and the top is Baroque. The courtyard, with internal galleries, was built in 1616, modeled on Italian courtyards. Like most buildings on the market square, the Cloth Hall also suffered during the bombings in 1940. In 1998, the facade of the building was renovated. Today, exhibitions and important events are held here.
- Church of St. James. Located on Rue Palais Saint-Jacques, the church was built in 1167. The central nave, the side aisles and the transept date back to the first half of the 13th century. They are typical examples of Gothic architecture. In 1368, the chancel was expanded, adding two side chapels. The ceiling of the chapel on the right is decorated with paintings of angels playing instruments. They were painted in 1405 and restored in 1895 by the painter Jules Helbig. The chancel houses a lectern with the figure of an eagle from 1411. It is one of the few works of art that managed to survive the iconoclast attack on the church in 1566.
- Tournai Central Station. The building is located on Place Crombez. It was built in 1879. The plans were created by the architect Henri Beyaert. The official opening ceremony was attended by the Belgian King Leopold I. The 118-meter-long glass roof of the station was destroyed during the bombing of the city during World War II.
- Pont des Trous. On the Andrei Sakharov quay (Quai Andrei Sakharov) there is a magnificent stone bridge from the 13th century. Pont des Trous, because that is its name, is one of three existing military river bridges. It is one of the most prestigious traces of medieval defensive architecture in Belgium. It was part of the so-called second defensive walls, which included 18 gates. Its task was to defend the passage to Tournai from the Scheldt River. The construction of the bridge took about 50 years. The Bourdiel Tower, standing on the left bank, dates back to 1281. The Thieulerie Tower, standing on the right, was built in 1304. It took another 25 years to raise the arches. Today, barges and boats pass under the bridge.
- Townhouses from the 13th century. On the Barre Saint Brice street there are two magnificent buildings in the Romanesque style. They were built between 1175 and 1200. The windows are formed by two horizontal rows of stones, supported by a monolithic column. They are prototypes of Flemish stone architecture and are among the oldest residential buildings of this type in Europe. Next door there is a townhouse in the style of Louis XIV. On the same street there is also a Gothic building from the 15th century. This tenement uses architectural patterns that were still used in houses in the Romanesque style. Other Gothic buildings can be found on the Rue des Jesuites. They date from the 13th century.
- When to visit. Tournai and its greatest attractions await you here all year round. The beautiful historic buildings will be at their best in summer, when the long days and good weather allow for long walks through the atmospheric streets of the old town.
