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Medieval Sound of Karelon, the Belfries of Flanders.

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In the Flanders region of Belgium,

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Belfries can be found in the central square of most cities.

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56 Belfries located in Belgium and in France

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have been inscribed as World Heritage.

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Many cities in Belgium between the 13th and 15th centuries

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thrived on trade.

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Citizens built Belfries as symbols of their prosperity.

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A set of bells known as Karelon are situated

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at the top of each Belfry, announcing the time to the city.

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Karelon can be played by hand,

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though they are usually operated mechanically.

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The word Karelon originates from the Old French word

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suggesting that the bells were rung every 15 minutes.

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Belfries were originally exclusive to churches,

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but as the cities thrived,

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local citizens started to build their own Belfries

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in their local city square.

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The Belfries in Bruges and Ghent

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were also built by their citizens.

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Belfries came to represent a citizen's power.

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The Flanders city of Mechelen is known as a Karelon city.

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The Belfry here was built in the 13th century.

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This Karelon consists of 78 different bells

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and is the largest in Flanders.

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The Royal Karelon School was founded in 1922.

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It is one of the few Karelon schools in the world.

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People of all ages learn to play the Karelon here.

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Karelon School director Joe Haasen

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is one of the world's few Karelon masters.

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His Karelon sound echoes throughout Mechelen

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several times a month.

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Playing Karelon is not as easy as it looks.

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Each bell has a complex resonance.

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It is very difficult to create clear, harmonious sounds.

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Unchanged since medieval times,

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the chimes of the Karelon bells

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continue to resound throughout the city.