History of the Town Hall’s construction

Need for a new design

All these different “houses” are not easily connected. The many differences in level also make it difficult to access the building, especially for people with a disability or a mobility impairment. A new design will provide a solution for this.

Spanning 6 centuries

• Early Middle Ages
  The site of the current Town Hall used to be occupied by houses and shops.
• 1439–1445
  Construction of the Achterhuis and the clerks’ rooms for the city council and administration.
• 1448–1460
  Construction of the Voorhuis.
• 1452
  Purchase of the d’Eycke house.
• 1460–1461
  Construction of the Conserverije, the caretaker’s house in Naamsestraat, from where the Town Hall was served.
• 1680
  Construction of the Dekenij: originally the cloth weavers’ guild chamber, which was gradually integrated in the Town Hall.
• 1708
  The old stairway at the front of the Voorhuis was replaced by a “pui” (façade entrance staircase).
• 1821
  The Bloemendale inn was demolished. The inn made way for a new police station, the Corps de Garde.
• Second half of the 19th century
  The city filled the niches in the façade with sculptures of historical Leuven figures and Biblical figures.
• 1938
  The construction of a new administrative wing began.
• 1965
  The Corps de Garde, which was damaged by the war, was redesigned and rebuilt.
• From 2008
  Most city services moved to the new city offices.
• 2019
  An open call was issued by the Flemish Government Architect to select a design team to architecturally shape the Town Hall’s new purpose.