Cloth hall

Last updated

A cloth hall or linen hall (German : Gewandhaus; Polish : Sukiennice; French : Halle aux draps; Dutch : Lakenhal) is a historic building located in the centre of the main marketplace of a European town. Cloth halls were built from medieval times into the 18th century.

Contents

A cloth hall contained trading stalls for the sale, particularly, of cloth but also of leather, wax, salt, and exotic imports such as silks and spices.

Belgium

Ypres Broadcloth Hall Ieper Lakenhal R02.jpg
Ypres Broadcloth Hall
Tournai Cloth Hall Tournai Ha1JPG.jpg
Tournai Cloth Hall
Former cloth hall and later town hall of Antoing Antoing, voormalig stadhuis.jpg
Former cloth hall and later town hall of Antoing

Examples of cloth halls in Belgium include the Ypres Cloth Hall and cloth halls in Bruges, Leuven, and Tournai. Leuven's Linen-Hall is in an early-Gothic style, with baroque addition, and now serves as the Leuven University Hall.

Britain and Ireland

British examples are Drapers' Hall, London; the Piece Hall, Halifax; and Leeds' White Cloth Hall.

In Ireland, the Dublin Linen Hall was completed in 1728, and later White Linen Hall was constructed in Belfast, [1] and there were linen halls in other towns such as Castlebar and Clonakilty.

Germany

Examples of German Gewandhäuser can be found in the towns of Brunswick, Zwickau, and Leipzig.

The rebuilt, third Leipzig Gewandhaus is home to the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Netherlands

Leiden (Holland) Broadcloth Hall: 19th-century view of present-day Museum De Lakenhal (Cloth-Hall Museum) of art ErfgoedLeiden LEI001015544 Lakenhal aan de Oude Singel in Leiden.jpeg
Leiden (Holland) Broadcloth Hall: 19th-century view of present-day Museum De Lakenhal (Cloth-Hall Museum) of art

The former Cloth Hall in Leiden, Netherlands, has, since the 19th century, housed the Museum De Lakenhal (Municipal Cloth-Hall Museum) of art.

Poland

In Poland, the most famous existing cloth-hall building is Kraków's Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), rebuilt in 1555 in Renaissance style. [6] The 14th-century Gothic cloth hall in Toruń is preserved as part of the Old Town Market Hall.

Cloth halls formerly also existed in Poznań, at the Old Market Square; and in Wrocław, at the site of the street now called ulica Sukiennice (Cloth-Hall Street).

Notes and references

  1. Hopkins, Frank (4 September 2008). "The Very Fabric Of Dublin's Past". Irish Independent. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. Ter Kuile, E.H., & Koch, A.C.F. (1964). Zuid-Salland. Den Haag: Staatsuitgeverij, geraadpleegd van DBNL
  3. Herwaarden, J., de Boer, D. P., van Kan, F., & Verhoeven, G. (1996). Geschiedenis van Dordrecht tot 1572, pp. 29-30. Gemeentearchief Dordrecht
  4. "Nijmegen §2.1 Wereldlijke bouwkunst". Encarta Encyclopedie Winkler Prins (in Dutch). Microsoft Corporation/Het Spectrum. 2002.
  5. J.F.A. Wassink (2005). Van stad en buitenie. Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verloren. p. 280. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  6. The World's Best Squares, PPS website, Making Places, December 2005

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scheldt</span> River in France, Belgium and the Netherlands

The Scheldt is a 435-kilometre-long (270 mi) river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old English sceald ("shallow"), Modern English shoal, Low German schol, West Frisian skol, and obsolete Swedish skäll ("thin").

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tielt</span> City and municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Tielt is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Tielt proper and the villages of Aarsele, Kanegem, and Schuiferskapelle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ypres</span> City in West Flanders, Belgium

Ypres is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name Ieper is the official one, the city's French name Ypres is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote. Together, they are home to about 34,900 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dendermonde</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Dendermonde is a city in the Flemish province of East Flanders in Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde. Dendermonde is at the mouth of the river Dender, where it flows into the Scheldt. The town has a long-standing folkloric feud with Aalst, south along the same river, which dates from the Middle Ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oudenaarde</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, Volkegem, Welden and a part of Ooike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herentals</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Herentals is a city in the province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and Noorderwijk. In 2022, Herentals had a total population of 28.455. The total area is 48.56 km2 (18.75 sq mi). Saint Waltrude is the patron saint of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels Central Station</span> Railway and metro station in Brussels, Belgium

Brussels Central Station, officially Brussels-Central, is a railway and metro station in central Brussels, Belgium. It is the second busiest railway station in Belgium and one of three principal railway stations in Brussels, together with Brussels-South and Brussels-North. First completed in 1952 after protracted delays caused by economic difficulties and World War II, it is the newest of Brussels' main rail hubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchy of Brabant</span> 1183–1794 northwestern state of the Holy Roman Empire

The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1482, until it was partitioned after the Dutch revolt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ypres Cloth Hall</span> Medieval commercial building in Ypres, Belgium

The Cloth Hall is a large cloth hall, a medieval commercial building, in Ypres, Belgium. It was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages, when it served as the main market and warehouse for the Flemish city's prosperous cloth industry. The original structure, erected mainly in the 13th century and completed 1304, lay in ruins after artillery fire devastated Ypres in World War I. Between 1933 and 1967, the hall was meticulously reconstructed to its prewar condition, under the guidance of architects J. Coomans and P. A. Pauwels. At 125 metres (410 ft) in breadth, with a 70 metres (230 ft)-high belfry tower, the Cloth Hall recalls the importance and wealth of the medieval trade city. The building now houses the In Flanders Fields Museum. In 1999, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, in recognition of their unique architecture, role in the advancement of civil liberties, and their civic, not religious, influence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oudenaarde Town Hall</span>

The Town Hall of Oudenaarde, Belgium, was built by architect Hendrik van Pede in 1526–1537 to replace the medieval Schepenhuis that occupied the same site. Another older structure, the 14th-century Cloth Hall, was retained and now forms a sort of extension at the back of the Town Hall proper. In 1999, the town hall was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, because of its representation of the civic influence of the town and its architecture.

Vanden Gheyn, Van den Gheyn or Van den Ghein was a family of bellfounders and carillon makers. The bell foundry was established in 1506 in Mechelen and active until the 20th century. They have been called "the most famous family of bellfounders [Belgium] has had".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels-North railway station</span> Railway and premetro station in Brussels, Belgium

Brussels-North railway station, officially Brussels-North, is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels, Belgium; the other two are Brussels-Central and Brussels-South. Every regular domestic and international train passing there has a planned stop. The station has 200,000 passengers per week, mainly commuters, making it one of the busiest in Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kortrijk</span> Municipality in Flemish Region, Belgium

Kortrijk, sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray, is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petrus Simons</span>

Pierre Simons (1538—1605) was a theologian and the second bishop of Ypres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolt of Ghent (1379–1385)</span>

The Revolt of Ghent (1379-1385) was an uprising by the city of Ghent against the count of Flanders and the king of France. Under the leadership of successively Jan Hyoens, Philip van Artevelde and Frans Ackerman, Ghent rebelled against Count Louis II of Flanders, Duke Philip the Bold of Burgundy and King Charles VI of France. It was an expression of the growing power of the Third Estate and of economic ties with England that had been strained by the Hundred Years' War. After six years of war, Ghent submitted to the ducal authority while avoiding further punishment. The dream of an autonomous city-state failed, and the era of royal centralization continued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles-Auguste Fraikin</span> Belgian curator and sculptor

Charles Auguste Fraikin was a Belgian neoclassical sculptor.