Verviers Town Hall, Protected heritage town hall in Verviers, Belgium.
Verviers Town Hall is a neoclassical building designed by Jacques-Barthélemy Renoz and built from 1775 to 1780. Its white-plastered and grey-painted masonry has a symmetrical facade with a three-bay central section flanked by two three-bay wings. The central section is framed by colossal Corinthian pilasters supporting an entablature inscribed "Publicité, sauvegarde du peuple" and a curved pediment carved with the city arms. An octagonal campanile with a black clock and gilded numerals rises above the roof.
Architect Jacques-Barthélemy Renoz designed this building in 1780 when Verviers was undergoing rapid urban expansion. The town's growth was driven by its flourishing textile industry, which required new civic structures.
The building sits at the heart of Verviers' civic life, serving as a gathering point where residents conduct municipal business. Its classical appearance shapes the town's identity and reflects the city's former importance as an industrial center.
The building sits in the old town center and is easy to reach on foot. Visitors should arrive during business hours if they wish to explore the interior or arrange a guided tour.
The pediment once showed the coat of arms of prince-bishop Franciscus Karel van Velbrück; it was chiselled away in 1789 during the Liège Revolution and replaced by the city arms, held by two children. The motto "Publicité, sauvegarde du peuple" was only added in 1830. The wrought-iron window railings were made in 1777 by master smith Th. Ansiau.
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