Stadhuis (City Hall)

This is where Vanessa and Vincent were married. Every Friday the weddings happen here in Gent, where most either sign the paperwork and go to a church and get married or you can get married in the Town Hall itself.

Here is a bit of history:

The town hall is situated on the site where until 1482 the town representatives and guild's men met in separate houses. Because these houses were judged too small and too unrepresentative for such important people, it was decided that a new and bigger town hall had to be built. The first stone of this new hall was laid in 1482. The building was finished in 1484. Very soon, however, also this new hall was considered too small and from 1518 until 1535 a new and much bigger town hall was constructed in late-gothic style.

In 1540 Ghent suffered reprisals from emperor Charles V because the citizens had dared to refuse to pay more taxes to the emperor. By then, only one third of the planned town hall had been constructed. It was only as from 1572 that Ghent could continue to build its town hall. However, the architectural style had changed and several renaissance-style parts were added to the building until the beginning of the 18th century. In 1750 a construction in Louis XV-style was added as the seat of the 'chamber of the poor'. In the beginning of the 19th century the staircases in front of the hall were changed for a visit from Napoleon.

City Hall - Chapel of the Aldermen of the Keure(This is where Vanessa and Vincent were married)

Although the Chapel of the Aldermen of the Keure was never finished, it has a marvellous fan vault. The walls are covered with fine tracery. The neo-Gothic partition wall with gallery was placed at the recommendation of E. Viollet-le-Duc.

The painting above the gallery represents Mary of Burgund, begging for mercy for her ministers. The scene takes place in front of the Castle of the Counts.