Stadhuis (City Hall); Bruges, Belgium

This immaculate medieval relic is one of several administrative buildings which frame Burg Square, the counterpoint to the commerce-oriented Markt Square.

Key Details:

The Stadhuis dates back to 1376 and has been in continual use as a government center for over 600 years!  It is one of the oldest town halls in the Low Countries of Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

The front facade of the building has niches for 48 figures and originally included biblical figures and key figures of Flanders, the northern part of Belgium.  In addition, the cities and villages that were previously governed in Bruges are represented by their symbolic weapon.

The adjacent buildings were built at different periods and represent different architectural styles.   The contrast is clearly apparent and adds to the impressive spatial quality of the square.

If You Go:

Burg Square and is within a short walk of most everything in the highly walkable city of Bruges.  It is a must see and is worth taking some time to take in the amazing architecture and public space of the square.

 Sources:

http://www.trabel.com/brugge/bruges-burg.htm

http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/musea/bruggemuseum/stadhuis/index.htm

This work by Matt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.