Provinciaal Hof

The Provinciaal Hof (Province Court) is a Neogothical building on the market place in Bruges, Belgium. It is the former meeting place for the provincial government of West Flanders.

The Provinciaal Hof, on the market place of Bruges

History

In 1294, the Waterhalle, 95m long and about 30m high, was built as the central point of the port of Bruges, right in the heart of the city. When the boats no longer could reach the hall, it was demolished in 1787 and replaced with a neoclassicist building. From 1850 on, part of this was used to house the provincial government meetings, until it burned down in 1878. A replacement in neogothical style, intended to house the province and a postal office, was started in 1887 by architects Louis Delacenserie and René Buyck. The post office was opened in 1891, and the first part of the Provinciaal Hof in 1892. The last parts of the buildings were finished in 1920.[1]

The building was used as the government meeting hall until 1999, and is now mainly a ceremonial building, and also used for exhibitions.[1]

In 2012, the national government, which owns the building, was considering to sell it, but the provincial government, the main user of the Hof, protested.[2]

Building
The meeting room

Both the exterior and the interior are in the Gothic Revival style. The central meeting room has ten sculptures of royalty by Hendrik Pickery, and mural paintings of famous people from West Flanders. The rest of the building is decorated with more sculptures by Hendrik and his son Gustaaf Pickery, stained glass windows by Jules Dobbelaere, and chandeliers by Edward De Vooght. A number of paintings can be found as well, including work by Joos de Momper, Jan Van de Putte, Jan Baptist van Meunincxhove, and paintings from the Romantic era.[1]

Notes
  1. "Provinciaal Hof" (in Dutch). Inventaris Onroerend Erfgoed.
  2. Deschacht, Tom (14 June 2012). "Belgische regering wil Provinciaal Hof verkopen". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch).
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