Built: 1561-1565 Designed by: Cornelis II Floris Renovated: 1579 - after being damaged by fire in 1576 Renovated: 1882-1891 by Loys du Foys and Nicolo Scarini Type: Government Building Maximum Height: 184 feet / 56 meters Maximum width: 256 feet / 78 meters Location: Grote Markt, Antwerp, Belgium
T he Stadhuis was erected during a time when Antwerp was near the height of its power. Its leaders decided the city needed an administration building befitting a powerful financial and trading center. This building is the result. While small, it is intricately detailed with symbols of might and power throughout. But it's not as complex as other buildings of the time. It is caught between true Gothic style and Flemish Renaissance, perhaps a harbinger of the Spanish invasion which was to come just a few years after it was completed, and caused half of the city's population to flee.
Salihovic Arslan
Five stars.