Description of the attraction
Among the architectural sights of the city of Haarlem, the city hall building, located on the central square - the famous Grote Markt, deserves special attention.
The town hall of Haarlem was built in the second half of the 14th century on the site of the old residence of the counts of Holland, which was almost completely destroyed as a result of the devastating fires of 1347 and 1351, which, however, is not surprising, since the count's house, like most buildings in Haarlem at that time, was built from wood. Since its construction in 1370, the Harlem Town Hall has undergone a number of dramatic changes. So in 1465-1468 the tower was completed, however, it was demolished in 1772, but restored in 1913. And in the first half of the 17th century, a new wing was erected in the Dutch Renaissance style, designed by the talented urban architect Lieven de Kay, and the facade of the building was decorated in the classicism style (how the original structure looked today can be seen in the painting by master Belart).
Initially, only part of the town hall was home to the city hall of Haarlem, and part belonged to the monastery of the Dominican order. However, after the Reformation, the building was completely taken over by the city authorities. For some time the building of the town hall housed the Frans Hals Museum and the Haarlem Public Library.
After admiring the Haarlem Town Hall, which certainly adorns the main square of the city, you should definitely look into the building itself, where you will find many beautiful paintings and various objects related to the history of Haarlem (some of them are part of the original interior of the town hall). One of the most famous and interesting canvases that you can see here, perhaps, is "The Legend of the Shield of Haarlem" - the work of the famous Dutch artist, representative of the Golden Age of Holland, Peter Frans de Grebber.
