City Hall, Renaissance town hall in Grote Markt, Haarlem, Netherlands.
City Hall in Haarlem is a Renaissance building on Grote Markt with a tall slender tower and a pointed archway called Pandpoort. The facade shows typical Renaissance features and includes a balcony overlooking the square.
The building was built in 1370 on the site of a former hunting lodge of the Counts of Holland. After the Protestant Reformation, a Dominican monastery was integrated into the complex.
The Gravenzaal inside displays 19 panels showing 32 counts and countesses of Holland, created around 1493 for a Carmelite monastery in Haarlem. These works tell the story of regional rulers and remain visible to visitors in this room today.
The building is located centrally on Grote Markt, a busy square in the heart of Haarlem. Visitors can view the exterior facade anytime, while interior spaces are accessible at specific times and sometimes for special occasions.
Inside is a memorial board painted by Han Bijvoet honoring ten people executed after an attack in 1943. This quiet reminder of a tragic chapter in local history often goes unnoticed by visitors exploring the building.
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