Stadhuis Oudenaarde
Townhall · Oudenaarde · Flanders
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Oudenaarde's town hall was built in Brabantine late-Gothic style between 1526 and 1537 by architect Hendrik van Pede, echoing the grand town halls of Leuven and Brussels. Its belfry, part of the UNESCO-listed Belfries of Belgium and France, carries a stone crown and a gilded brass figure of Hanske de Krijger, the city's mythical guardian. Worth slowing down for on the market square.
The gilded figure atop the belfry has its own legend: Hanske de Krijger is said to have been a city watchman who fell asleep on duty while awaiting Emperor Charles V, leaving the gates shut when the emperor arrived. Charles is said to have joked that Oudenaarde's watchmen should be equipped with binoculars, a jest still commemorated in the city's coat of arms. The town hall replaced the medieval Schepenhuis, or Aldermen's House, that stood on the same site, and construction kept the older 14th-century Cloth Hall on as an extension at the rear. That Cloth Hall's upper floor today holds part of Oudenaarde's tapestry collection, a legacy of the 16th-century weaving industry that once employed thousands in the town; 13 of the museum's 23 tapestries hang there on permanent display.
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Common questions
- Why stop at Stadhuis Oudenaarde on a bike ride?
- Oudenaarde's town hall was built in Brabantine late-Gothic style between 1526 and 1537 by architect Hendrik van Pede, echoing the grand town halls of Leuven and Brussels. Its belfry, part of the UNESCO-listed Belfries of Belgium and France, carries a stone crown and a gilded brass figure of Hanske de Krijger, the city's mythical guardian. Worth slowing down for on the market square.
- Where is Stadhuis Oudenaarde?
- Stadhuis Oudenaarde is in Oudenaarde, Flanders (Belgium).