City Hall of Delft (Stadhuis) description and photos - Netherlands: Delft (Topic)

City Hall of Delft (Stadhuis) description and photos - Netherlands: Delft. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Stadhuis.

Photo and description

The Town Hall of Delft is a historic Renaissance building located on the Market Square, opposite the New Church.

The first town hall was built in Delft at the beginning of the XIII century, and it was located in the same place, on the market square. Then the town hall served not only as a meeting place for the city council, but also as a prison. It was here that the killer of Prince William of Orange the Silent - Balthazar Gerard - was kept. From this building to our time, a massive stone tower has survived, which is now considered the oldest building in Delft. In 1536, a clock with four dials by Delft masters was installed on the town hall tower. During the years of its existence, the town hall burned several times, the strongest fire happened in 1536, when the tower miraculously survived, but after the fire in 1618, it was decided to completely rebuild the building of the town hall.

The new town hall was built by the famous Dutch architect Hendrik de Kaiser in just two years. A two-storey Renaissance building was built on the old foundation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, some renovations were carried out, but in the 20th century, restorers tried to return the town hall to its original form, in which it was conceived by Hendrik de Kaiser.

The city council now sits here, and civil wedding ceremonies are held. In the halls of the town hall, you can see portraits of the Orange-Nassau dynasty, made by one of the first Dutch portrait painters, Michel van Mirevelt. The facade is decorated with a sculpture of Justice, and one of the halls is decorated with a fresco by Peter van Bronckhorst "Solomon's Court".

We also recommend reading Moai stone statues description and photos - Chile: Easter Island

Topic: City Hall of Delft (Stadhuis) description and photos - Netherlands: Delft.