€2m grant to restore Halle’s city hall

Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois, who is also responsible for heritage matters, has approved a grant of just over €2 million for the restoration of the city hall in Halle in Flemish Brabant.

The building dates back to 1616, following the destruction by fire of the previous city hall in 1595, and was listed as a monument in 1933. A new city hall was built in 1994 and took over most of the main functions.

“These days the city hall is not only home to various city services, it is also a tourist office,” Bourgeois said. “It will continue to provide these services after the restoration, but there will also be room for a shop, and there will be infrastructure for a museum. The building will again serve as a shop-window for the identity of the city.”

The restoration will cover the facades and gables, the dormer windows and the woodwork. Inside, the staircases and the marriage hall will also be restored.

Elsewhere, Bourgeois approved funding of just under €600,000 for the University of Leuven, to restore the former Institute of Bacteriology in the city. The building was put up in 1897 and listed as a monument in 2010. The works cover the roof and the woodwork, which have been damaged by water infiltration, and later the facades.

“Restoration and re-purposing are the ideal way to give a new future to valuable buildings,” Bourgeois said. “This former institute saw ground-breaking research in the fight against bacterial infections. Nowadays it provides space for 10 workshops and two warehouses that provide space for students and university staff to practise both visual and audio-visual arts.”

Photo courtesy Mapio.net