The City Hall (
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
: ) of
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population.
The area of the whole city a ...
,
West Flanders
)
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg
, shield_size =
, image_map ...
, Belgium, is a landmark building and the seat of that city. Built in a
late Gothic monumental-style between 1376 and 1421, it is one of the oldest city halls in the former
Burgundian Netherlands
In the history of the Low Countries, the Burgundian Netherlands (french: Pays-Bas bourguignons, nl, Bourgondische Nederlanden, lb, Burgundeschen Nidderlanden, wa, Bas Payis borguignons) or the Burgundian Age is the period between 1384 and ...
.
It is located on
Burg Square, the area of the former fortified
castle in the centre of Bruges.
History
Early history
After a fire in the city's
Belfry in 1280, the old ''Ghyselhuus'', which had already fallen into disuse as the jail of the
count of Flanders, was still the meeting place for the city council. In 1376, the ''Ghyselhuus'' was pulled down and replaced by a new purpose built council building.
Count Louis laid the foundation stone. Responsibility for its construction was given to Jan Roegiers,
and the project was completed late in 1421.
[ The City Hall is the earliest late Gothic monumental-style municipal council building in ]Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
or Brabant: its flamboyant opulence testifies to the city's economic and political power[ at a time when the population of Bruges is believed to have reached more than 37,000, or even 45,000 people.
The pioneering stone facade of the oldest part, which during the 16th and 17th centuries was several times extended towards the south, inspired in quick succession the city halls of ]Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
, Leuven and Oudenaarde
Oudenaarde (; french: Audenarde ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, H ...
.[ The building's admirers highlight the effect of the "Brugian span", referring to the abundance of repeating systematically positioned niches encompassing the windows, though it is not clear that this effect was invented in Bruges.
The statues under the stone baldachin-canopies on the building's facade have been renewed several times. At the time of the ]French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, all the statues were destroyed. A small number of genuine pieces are now included in the collections of the city museum. The crenellated facade is topped off with little turrets and the roof
A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of te ...
is decorated with its own little crests and dormers. In 1766, the door on the left side of the building's facade was repositioned to make the overall effect more symmetrical.
Later restoration
Between 1895 and 1905, the distinguished local architect, Louis Delacenserie
Louis Delacenserie (1838–1909) was a Belgian architect from Bruges. The spelling of his name differs greatly; De la Censerie, Delasencerie, Dela Censerie or Dela Sencerie are the most common alternative forms. His father was a merchant and buil ...
and the Gothic Revival champion Jean-Baptiste Bethune
Jean-Baptiste Bethune {April 25, 1821 - June 18, 1894) was a Belgian architect, artisan and designer who played a pivotal role in the Belgian and Catholic Gothic Revival movement. He was called by some the "''Pugin of Belgium''", with reference ...
started the restoration of the interior. The lesser and greater council chamber were replaced by a single "Gothic Hall". The rich decoration of this chamber now offered competition to the elaborate exterior facade. The impressive double-vaulted timber ceiling was restored and extended to cover the entire area, while the vaulting over the two eastern bays dates only from the 19th century. Medallions in the bosses show New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
scenes, prophets, evangelists and saints. Decoration of the corbels supporting the roof reflect natural and seasonal themes. On the walls mural paintings by Albrecht De Vriendt
Albrecht Frans Lieven De Vriendt or Albrecht De Vriendt (In French-language publications referred to as Albert De Vriendt or Albert François Lieven De Vriendt) show scenes from the history of Bruges. Like the monumental mantle-pieces these are 19th-century neo-Gothic enhancements. The stone vault from 1766, which had covered the lower level, was at the same time replaced by a quasi-historical timber structure, supported by four columns that divide the room into two halves.
File:Bruges Hôtel de Ville2.JPG, Detail of the facade
File:Bruges City Hall Interior.jpg, Interior
File:Brügge town hall mantelpiece-20140322-RM-144445.jpg, Mantelpiece
References
External links
Stadhuis (City Hall) on Musea Brugge
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Bruges
City and town halls in Belgium
Gothic architecture in Belgium
Gothic Revival architecture in Belgium