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The real eye-catcher on the Grote Markt at Aalst (Belgium)is the old Aldermen's house with a belfry tower and district house, known locally as the belfort. The belfry is therefore not 1 large building, but consists of 3 different buildings: The old Aldermen's house was built in 1225 and is the oldest remaining Aldermen's house in the Low Countries. The high gable roof and four round corner towers are typical of town halls in the late Middle Ages. The belfry dating back to 1407 thanks its elegance to an octagonal tower with open gallery. The front gable contains two statues representing the earls of Flanders and the earls of Aalst and the inscription �NEC SPE NEC METU� (not with hope, not with fear), the motto of Philip II whose domain extended to Aalst in 1555. In 1999, the decorative belfry tower was included in the UNESCO world heritage list and is home to one the country's most ancient carillons. Every quarter of an hour, the carillon, which is still operational, rings out and reminds us of the belfry's long-standing presence on the Grote Markt. The neo-Gothic numbers on the tower clock were replaced in 1964 with a face made of half moons. Ever since the locals have referred to the belfry as �den tettentoeren� (tit tower), as a reference to the similarity between the clock and women's breasts. The district house, the small late-Gothic annex, was once the site where the stadtholder or bailiff announced the laws before the public gathered on the Grote Markt. Five statues decorate the fa�ade: Lady Justitia, Dirk van Aalst (the last earl, who died in 1166), Pieter Coecke (court painter), Emperor Charles V and Cornelius De Schrijver (humanist and Latin poet). Every month, the town council members still meet on the 1st floor of the Aldermen's house for the town council meeting. On the left is located the "Borse van Amsterdam" and te statue of Dirk Martens (Locals call it "De Zwette maan" which means "Black Man")