The oldest building on Ghent's Vrijdagsmarkt Square.
It was the originally the Tanners' Guild House for a period of around a 100 years from 1450.
There are no stairs in the whole building, as the tanners used ladders to climb the tower to hang out their skins to dry. The logic was that ladders could be pulled up if someone attacked the building. From the tower new trade regulations were read aloud to everyone on the square. It fell into decay in the early 20th century, but was renovated in the 1980s. An elevator was installed, which is said to be the slowest in Belgium, because too much vibration would damage the building.
It now houses a poetry centre.