The City Hall of Antwerp, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, stands on the western side of Antwerp's Grote Markt (Great Market Square). Erected between 1561 and 1565 to the design of Cornelis Floris de Vriendt

Cornelis Floris de Vriendt

Cornelis Floris de Vriendt was a Flemish Renaissance architect and sculptor. He played an important role in the building of the Antwerp City Hall. His brother was Frans Floris, for whom he designed a house in Antwerp.-External links:...

 and several other architects and artists, this Renaissance

Renaissance in the Netherlands

The Renaissance in the Low Countries is the cultural period that roughly corresponds to the 16th century in the Low Countries. In 1500 the Seventeen Provinces were in a personal union under the Burgundian Dukes, and with the Flemish cities as centers of gravity, culturally and economically formed...

 building incorporates both Flemish

County of Flanders

The County of Flanders was one of the territories constituting the Low Countries. The county existed from 862 to 1795. It was one of the original secular fiefs of France and for centuries was one of the most affluent regions in Europe....

 and Italian

Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...

 influences.

The low arcaded ground story is of rusticated stone, and at one time housed little shops. Above are two stories with Doric

Doric order

The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...

 and Ionic

Ionic order

The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...

 columns separating large mullion

Mullion

A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...

ed windows, and a fourth story forming an open gallery.

The richly ornamented center section, which rises above the eaves in diminishing stages, holds female statues representing Justice

Justice (virtue)

Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues in classical European philosophy and Roman Catholicism. It is the moderation between selfishness and selflessness....

, Prudence

Prudence

Prudence is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four Cardinal virtues .The word comes from Old French prudence , from Latin...

, and the Virgin Mary, and bears the coats of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 of the Duchy of Brabant

Duchy of Brabant

The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...

, the Spanish Habsburgs

Habsburg Spain

Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries , when Spain was ruled by the major branch of the Habsburg dynasty...

, and the Margraviate of Antwerp.

History

In the 16th century, the municipal authorities proposed to replace Antwerp's small medieval town hall with a more imposing structure befitting the prosperity of the great port city. Domien de Waghemakere drafted a plan (c. 1540) for a new building in a style typical of the monumental Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

 town halls of Flanders and Brabant.
But an atmosphere of war prevented any progress on the project. The building material intended for the city hall was instead used to shore up the city defenses. Not until about 1560 were new plans developed, but meanwhile Gothic architecture was no longer fashionable, so this time the new town hall was designed in the new Renaissance style. Completed in 1565, the building lasted hardly a decade before being burnt to a shell in the Spanish Fury

Sack of Antwerp

The sack of Antwerp or the Spanish Fury at Antwerp was an episode of the Eighty Years' War.On 4 November 1576, Spanish tercios began the sack of Antwerp, leading to three days of horror among the population of the city, which was the cultural, economic and financial center of the Netherlands. The...

 of 1576. It was repaired three years later.

Renovations during the late 19th century by Pierre Bruno Bourla

Pierre Bruno Bourla

Pierre Bruno Bourla was a Paris-born Belgian architect. He was the city architect in Antwerp from 1819 to 1861, and a professor of architecture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. His most famous work is the Royal Theatre built between 1827 and 1834, known popularly after him as the "Bourla...

 drastically modified the interior. Much of the stately decor dates from this period, as does a roof over what was once an open-air inner courtyard.

Influence abroad

The Green Gate

Green Gate

The Green Gate in Gdańsk, Poland, is one of the most notable tourist attractions of the city. It is situated between Long Market and the River Motława.-History:...

 in Gdańsk

Gdansk

Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 is a building which is clearly inspired by the Antwerp City Hall. It was built between 1568-1571 to serve as the formal residence of the Polish monarchs. It is a masterpiece by Regnier (or Reiner van Amsterdam), the architect from Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

.

External links

• Antwerp City Hall - detailed description and history
• Town Hall, Antwerp - overview and photo gallery