Schepenhuis, Gothic town hall and museum in Aalst, Belgium.
The Schepenhuis is a Gothic town hall and museum in Aalst featuring a striking tower that dominates the city's main square. The building contains multiple levels with historic chambers, cellars, and exhibition spaces that document different periods of the city's past.
The building emerged during medieval times as one of the region's earliest civic centers for urban governance and administration. Multiple reconstructions shaped its final form, making it a surviving example of how medieval cities organized their public institutions.
The name comes from the medieval magistrates who once governed the city from within its walls. You can still sense how power and justice shaped daily life here, with rooms that echo the decisions made centuries ago.
The main entrance is easily found on the market square where the building's impressive tower immediately draws your attention. Plan enough time to explore multiple levels and spaces, as there is much to discover throughout the different sections.
The cellar chambers beneath the building once served as medieval prisons, revealing how justice was administered in harsh ways. These underground spaces now offer visitors an unexpectedly immersive way to understand this darker chapter of the city's past.
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