Stadhuis (Town Hall)

Brabantine Gothic masterpiece on the Markt, housing the belfry and two museums

The Stadhuis on the Markt is the finest building in Oudenaarde and one of the most accomplished examples of late Gothic civic architecture in Flanders. Built in the first half of the 16th century, it features an elaborate façade with detailed stone carvings, tracery windows, and an elegant belfry that can be seen from across the surrounding countryside. The ground floor and upper galleries house both the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen cycling museum and the MOU tapestry museum.

The building is at its most impressive in the early morning light, when the Markt is quiet and the stonework takes on a warm glow. Even if you visit only to walk around the outside, the scale and detail of the carving reward close attention — this is not a building to rush past.

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A story
The Oudenaarde town hall was built between 1526 and 1537 to designs by Hendrik van Pede. It is considered one of the finest examples of Brabantine Gothic civil architecture in Flanders, built at the exact moment when the style reached its peak — and almost immediately before Renaissance fashions swept it aside. The belfry is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France.