City Hall

Mechelen actually has three city halls: the old Schepenhuis (Aldermen’s building), Huis De Beyaert and the present-day city hall. Behind the latter you also have the 'Huis van de Mechelaar', the administrative centre for citizens of Mechelen. The present-day city hall on the Grote Markt consists of two parts: the cloth hall with unfinished belfry and the Palace of the Great Council. 

Why is the belfry unfinished? 
Well, in the fourteenth century the cloth trade went into decline and there was no money to complete the building. For 200 years the belfry was no more than a shell. In the sixteenth century, it was eventually provided with a temporary roof. Which is still there! The belfry is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

To the right of it, you can see the oldest part of the city hall, the remains of the earlier cloth hall. On the left is the Palace of the Great Council. But, in actual fact, the council never convened there, as this wing was only added in the twentieth century. It was built in accordance with the original sixteenth-century plans drawn up by the then famous architect Rombout Keldermans. 

TIP! The inside of the city hall is well worth a look. You can visit it with a guide as part of the historical city walk.