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Leuven Town Hall

Leuven Town Hall

Sulpitius Van Vorst, Jan Keldermans II & Matheus de Layens

Photo: EmDee · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location
Grote Markt, Leuven, Belgium
Client / Owner
—
Year
Completed 1469
Access
Public
Style
Gothic

Leuven Town Hall on the Grote Markt was begun in 1439 by Sulpitius Van Vorst, who died soon after the rear wings began. Jan Keldermans II briefly succeeded him, and Matheus de Layens took over in 1448 and changed the design. The first stone of the Voirste Huys was laid on March 28, 1448, and the building was completed in 1469.

The infobox lists Gothic and Brabantine Gothic. Early plans, influenced by Brussels Town Hall, had a corner belfry, which De Layens replaced with symmetrical octagonal turrets. Three stories with pointed windows rise to a gallery parapet and a steep roof with four tiers of dormers. A total of 236 statues stand in niches, though they date from after 1850.

The cellars of demolished houses were incorporated into the building. It escaped with minor damage in World War I, and a bomb in front in World War II caused damage that was repaired by 1983. It remains the town hall.

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