Since 1310 (possibly as early as 1255) there has been a stone Town Hall on the Grote Markt, then still called Brede Merckt. This Town Hall faced north and was expanded in 1443. The Town Hall and (from 1470) Wine House also served as a courthouse and as a weigh house (public building where goods were weighed). The administrators met in the Wine House and discussed the concerns of the day with a glass of wine. A prison for serious criminals was located under the building. The Town Hall and Wine House were demolished in 1775 due to dilapidation and can therefore no longer be admired. The Council had already commissioned the construction of a new Town Hall in 1770. Due to the lucrative peat trade (the City's monopoly) from the Ommelanden, our City was doing very well at that time. Mayor Anton van Iddekinge therefore announced a design competition, with the help of Petrus Camper. Of the 38 designs from home and abroad, the design by Jacob Otten Husly (1738-1796), which was basically classicist, won. Husly was a skilled plasterer who later also became an architect. For years he had to argue with the municipal authorities about the design, the costs and his fees. He was not able to admire his Town Hall in person. After his death, city architect Harmannus Raammaker finished the job. The Town Hall was given a portico with columns, with a staircase on either side to a landing and 4 enormous columns with a triangular pediment above. Construction began in 1776. Due to turbulent times, with various adjustments to the design, construction was greatly delayed and only resumed in 1793. In 1810, the Town Hall was only almost finished. It eventually became the first neoclassical building in the Netherlands. The front faces east and the Town Hall had a courtyard where carriages with guests were received. The building also housed the police, prison cells, the court, the militia, the provincial archives and other administrative bodies. In 1868, the Town Hall was expanded by partially building on the inner courtyard. In 1873, the originally open western facade was closed off. In 1958, a new rectangular building block was built between the Waagstraat and the Guldenstraat by the Leeuwarden architect ir. JJM Vegter. Shops and catering establishments were built on the ground floor and the first floor. The upper administrative section was connected to the old Town Hall by a glass skybridge. The skybridge was given a very large external staircase (state staircase) in the axis of the Herestraat. This staircase provided access to the new main entrance of the Town Hall. The building was put into use in 1962. Ultimately, this 'new construction' section was demolished in 1994 and the Waagstraat complex by Natalini was built. Between 2020-2022, the City Hall was completely renovated inside and out. The original neoclassical design was leading in the approach. The energy label has gone from G to A+++ due to major improvements. The largest intervention was the construction of a new council chamber in the roof/attic of the building. This large council chamber is a kind of cork, which closes off the former (outside) courtyard from above. This created space downstairs for the impressive Anda Kerkhoven reception hall. Where in the 19th century the horse-drawn carriages with guests once drove into the courtyard, is now the reception hall. The ceiling of this hall is colored sky blue and the golden stars symbolize the City of Groningen and the surrounding villages (City and Ommeland), in a topographically correct position. During the liberation of the City of Groningen on April 16, 1945, the City Hall escaped almost unscathed, while more than half of the Grote Markt was in ruins. The bullet holes at the rear of the City Hall have been preserved as a reminder. On the bel-étage of the Town Hall there are a total of about 80 pilasters, flat half-pillars, which are placed against the walls for decoration. From the Renaissance onwards they were often used as a reference to the column orders from classical antiquity. In the Town Hall of Groningen they are made of plaster, with many layers of acrylic paint as an impressive neo-classical sauce. In many different places in the Town Hall you can see paintings of mayors. From the 16th century until very recently, paintings have been made of the mayors. Text sources: • groningerarchieven.nl • Gemeente.groningen.nl • Stadhuis.groningen.nl • Beeldbankgroningen.nl • nl.m.wikipedia.org Photo and film sources: • Groningerarchieven.nl • nl.m.wikipedia.org • Beno's Stad • The Groningen city hall - Beno's Stad ... • Beeldbankgroningen.nl • Own photo material • Stadhuis.groningen.nl • Gemeente.groningen.nl Music source: • via YouTube account @FreesoundMusic - • 60 min mix of royalty free Vintage Jazz