Schaerbeek Municipal Hall, Town hall in Schaerbeek, Belgium.
The town hall of Schaerbeek is a civic building featuring red brick facades, prominent gables, and a central turret rising above the main entrance at Place Colignon. The structure combines Flemish architectural forms with neo-renaissance elements that define the center of the neighborhood.
Schaerbeek's fourth municipal hall was designed by Jules-Jacques Van Ysendyck in neo-Flemish Renaissance style; its first stone was laid on 15 March 1885 and King Leopold II attended the inauguration on 21 July 1887. A fire, probably arson, struck on the night of 17 April 1911. Maurice Van Ysendyck rebuilt it from 1912 to 1915, enlarging the rear into a quadrilateral; it reopened on 1 October 1915 and was formally inaugurated in 1919 in the presence of King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth.
The interior is decorated with woodwork, stained-glass windows and sculptures. The windows recount Schaerbeek's history and were made by Louis de Contini, Charles Baes and the Colpaert Frères workshop. Corridors and aldermen's offices hold works by local artists such as Eugène Verboeckhoven, Alfred Verwée and Herman Richir.
Visitors can explore the building on guided tours lasting around 50 minutes, available in several languages. It is advisable to check accessibility information beforehand, as certain areas feature architectural elements that may affect movement.
The building is Schaerbeek's fourth municipal hall. The first stood from 1830-31 at the corner of the Chaussée de Haecht and today's Avenue Louis Bertrand; the second from 1851 at 28 rue Saint-Paul, the third from 1864 at 81 rue des Palais. Before any hall existed, the council met at a café called Au Renard, rue de Jérusalem at the corner of rue Metsys.
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