The Boekentoren (
Dutch for ''Book Tower'') is a famous building located in
Ghent
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, designed by the
Belgian architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Henry van de Velde
Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium ...
. It is part of the
Ghent University Library and currently houses 3 million books. The Boekentoren is directly adjacent to the
Blandijn, the buildings of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.
History
In 1933 the famous Flemish architect
Henry van de Velde
Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium ...
(1863–1957) was commissioned to design a building for the Library and the Institutes of Art History, Veterinarian Studies and Pharmaceutical sciences of the
Ghent University
Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium.
Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...
(Universiteit Gent) on the premises of the former De Vreese Alley on the Blandijnberg. Situated on the highest ground in the city, the site offered the architect a unique opportunity to give to Ghent its fourth tower, not for the ringing of bells this time, but for books. With its height of , the book tower reaches out to the sky above Ghent alongside its (late) mediaeval predecessors to mark the city skyline and to put the university visibly on the map. Together with the 3 towers, the so-called "Tower of Wisdom" helped Ghent realising the dream the town had since it hosted the
World's Fair in 1913 of creating a "Parade of Towers". The famous three towers of the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
: the
Saint-Nicolas Church, the
Belfry
The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...
and the
Saint Bavo Cathedral and the modernist Booktower.
Constructed in concrete – an innovation in those days – using the then equally innovative technique of sliding shuttering, the tower was given the shape of a Greek cross to symbolize the connection between time and space, and merging heaven and earth. Twenty storeys above and four below ground level accommodate a line-up of some 46 kilometres of printed material, or over 3 million items. Supporting the vertical lines of the tower and the books on the shelves are the horizontal lines of the open books on the long tables of the magnificent reading-room, the rectangular courtyard that bathes in daylight, and the reading-room for manuscripts, safely shielded from daylight at the north side of the edifice. The tower was inaugurated in 1942 and recognized as a monument in 1992.
Restoration
Almost 70 years after its completion, a thorough restoration started, including the famous
Belvedère and the gorgeous interiors. The occasion, however, is also used to make the tower more accessible to the general public. On the other hand, the building will be made to meet the demands of modern library management, especially as far as protection and management of the collection (air conditioning, replacement of obsolete by modern and more efficient provisions) are concerned. The tower will, therefore, not only be restored, but also thoroughly updated. A three floor underground repository is built under the inner garden; it will be completed in 2014 so the books can move from the tower to the underground and the concrete skin of the tower can be replaced. The entire operation is the work of a team around the architects Robbrecht and Daem. Restoration started in 2012. The library services with its study landscape and reading room returned to use in summer 2021. The east wing with office spaces was completed in early 2024 and works on the west wing were started in the same year.
The restoration began with the private person Andre Singer who initiated a campaign to make the university aware of the great architectural value of the building, and of the need of restoration. The then rector Andre De Leenheer, took on the difficult job of finding University money and other funding for the full restoration.
Trivia
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the tower was taken over by the
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
because of its views of the surrounding area.
The Booktower houses about 46 kilometers of books and other material.
In 2007 the Flemish Television Centre
VRT has nominated the
belvedère of the book tower for their program "Monumentenstrijd". This "Battle between Monuments" was based on the popular BBC show
''Restoration'', which had many viewers in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
(a belvedère – an observation post on the roof with an immense panorama – functions as a popular feature in large-scale public buildings.)
On the 3rd of April 2013 the Booktowe
figuredin the Google logo to celebrate the 150th birthday of Henry van de Velde.
On November 12, 2018, a bronze dog was placed on top of the Book Tower. The animal looks east, towards the rising sun. The full-size, upright sitting dog is clearly visible from St. Peter's Square. It is an idea by Michiel Hendryckx that should stimulate both curiosity and amazement. The animalier Greta Van Puyenbroeck created the unique image for which a smooth-haired fox terrier served as a model.
See also
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Ghent University Library
Photo gallery
boekentoren_ugent_belvedere_675.jpg, Belvedère (2013).
boekentoren_ugent0102.jpg, Large reading room seen from mezzanine (2012).
boekentoren_ugent0103.jpg, Catalogue and central corridor (2012).
van_de_velde_weimar_675.jpg, Furniture designed by Van de Velde for the Boekentoren shown at a Weimar exhibition (2013).
boekentoren_ugent0104.jpg, Construction of the underground repository under the inner garden (2012).
External links
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{{Authority control
Ghent University
Towers in Belgium
Academic libraries in Belgium
Library buildings completed in 1936
Buildings and structures in Ghent
Henry van de Velde buildings
Tourist attractions in Ghent