"THE BATTLE OF MONUMENTS"
For those who are not familiar with the "Battle of Monuments": it was a contest at which the general public was to decide which Flemish monument was to receive extra funds for restoration and/or possibly change of use. The poll was organized with the support of the Flemish Government and the battle was mainly fought in the media. For each nominated monument a local celebrity was appointed godparent, and these godparents had to step into the ring to fight the "Battle of Monuments", by performing all sorts of feats or creating events that would attract public attention to their beloved godchild. The Book Tower took a chance with the Belvedere, the tower's showpiece that is in a terrible shape, and got through to the final.
The five finalists - one for each Flemish province – had to compete during a live show on Flemish television on February 19th, 2007. The Book Tower ended third, behind the steam-powered syrup factory in Borgloon and "Cinema Plaza" in Duffel: a bronze medal.
The event generated widespread interest in the tower and made it a landmark, also for children...
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