Stadhuis, Bruges

The Stadhuis, Town Hall, or Hotel de Ville, is in a large part, still the medieval building that has always stood here. Count Ledewijk van Male laid the foundation stone here in 1376.

The Gothic hall on the first floor still contains its 14th Century wooden vaulting. However, the murals are Neo-Gothic and date from the 19th Century, during the Romantic/Gothic Revival era.

The Gothic Hall contains a splendid wooden gothic vault that rests on corbels, which are carved with biblical scenes. The base of the rib vaulting contains representations of the four seasons that symbolise the four elements. The paintings, which date from the 19th Century, illustrate different episodes from the history of Flanders and of Bruges.

The Stadhuis has housed the town council since the 14th Century. It was from here that the Counts of Flanders declared the freedom and rights of their subjects. The first meeting of the Government was held in the Town Hall in 1464.

Modern statues have been placed in the exterior niches; these represent various historical figures in Bruges history.