Bruges City Hall
The town hall of Bruges on Burgplatz is one of the oldest town halls in the area of the former Burgundian Netherlands . It was built in 1376 and completed around 1400. The city's administrative headquarters have been located here ever since.
history
After a fire in the Belfry of Bruges in 1280, the old Ghyselhuus on Burgplatz , the count's prison that was no longer in use at that time, became the new meeting room for the lay judges. In 1376, Count Ludwig von Male had the Ghyselhuus torn down to make room for a real Scepenhuus , which was built under the direction of master bricklayer Jan Roegiers and was not completed until 1421. The Bruges Town Hall is the first monumental late Gothic town hall in Flanders and Brabant and testifies to the economic and political heyday of the city in the 14th century.
After a fire in 1887, the interior of the town hall was in poor condition. Between 1895 and 1905 the facility was restored jointly by the architect Louis Delacenserie and the artist Jean-Baptiste Bethune . The small and large Schöffensaal on the upper floor were combined to form the current “Gothic Hall”. The precious decoration of this room is equal to the decoration of the facade. The imposing double umbrella vault made of wood has been restored and encompasses the entire hall. The vault of the two eastern traves dates from the 19th century. The keystones of the vaults contain medallions and four-lobed decorations with images from the New Testament as well as prophets, evangelists and saints. The corbels that support the ensemble are decorated with thematic representations of the seasons, months and natural elements. The artist Albrecht De Vriendt painted scenes from the history of Bruges on the walls. These are additional decorations in the neo-Gothic style , such as the monumental splendid fireplace. The stone vault from 1766 in the hall on the ground floor was replaced by a historicizing wooden structure supported by four composite columns that divide this hall into two naves.
architecture
The natural stone facade of the oldest part, which was extended several times to the south in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries, inspired the architects of the city halls of Brussels , Ghent , Leuven and Oudenaarde and had a strong influence on the civil architecture of Bruges. The Bruges Travée was used here for the first time , a gable niche in which the superimposed windows on the various floors are framed.
On the crowns of the walls are sculptures of historical figures under ornate canopies, which have been renewed several times and belong to the sculptural concept of Jan van Valenciennes . Many original sculptures were destroyed, especially during the French Revolution. Some authentic parts of these sculptures are in the collection of the Bruges museums. The crenellated parapet is decorated with oriel towers. The saddle roof was supplemented by a ridge comb and received many dormer windows. In 1766 the left entrance was placed symmetrically opposite the right entrance. Originally he was in the first travée.
- Gothic hall
literature
Stefanie Gilté, Aagje Vanwalleghem: Stadhuis van Brugge. In: Inventory Onroerend Erfgoed . Retrieved January 7, 2020.
Web links
Stadhuis (town hall). (Website Musea Brugge)
