The Stadhuis ( City Hall ) of Antwerp, Belgium, stands on the western side of Antwerp's Grote Markt (Great Market Square ). Erected between 1561 and 1565 after designs made by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt and several other architects and artists, this Renaissance building incorporates both Flemish and Italian influences. The Stadhuis is inscribed on UNESCO 's World Heritage List along with the belfries of Belgium and France.
History
In the 16th century Antwerp became one of the busiest trading ports and most prosperous cities in Northern Europe. The municipal authorities wished to replace Antwerp's small medieval town hall with a more imposing structure befitting the prosperity of the great port city. Antwerparchitect Domien de Waghemakere drafted a plan (c. 1540) for a new building in a style typical of the monumental Gothic town halls of Flanders and Brabant.
But the threat of war prevented any progress on the project. The building materials intended for the Stadhuis were instead used to shore up the city defenses. Not until about 1560 new plans were developed.
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