Howdy ya’ll. Recently, I was reading the 1856 book “The Great Wonders of the World…” (link below) in which I discovered a really beautiful building known as The Town Hall Of Leuven. The building was absolutely unique, and was completely new to me.
A quick search, and a breeze through wiki, showed that not a lot of information, or photographs were provided for this absolutely immense structure. And yet, with a little more digging, we come to find that the history of this building is truly important to the history of Belgium and of the greater European area.
The Town Hall, according to the narrative, was constructed in 1448, and was at the center of the fortified city of Leuven. Leuven, like many other star and fortified cities, eventually fell victim to a great disaster. However, this disaster was caused by man. As Germany marched towards France in 1914, they came to Belgium, more specifically, to Leuven.
In what some call one of the worst unprovoked tragedies of World War One, The German army proceeded to ransack and destroy the city, burning down all but one building; The Town Hall, which the Germans used as their base of operation. The tactics displayed in Belgium led to a great change in politics and strategy, shifting global allegiances, and reshaping architecture, specifically in Leuven.
Today, we will look at the oldest photographs of The Town Hall of Leuven, while discussing the history, and finally, viewing the overall city of Leuven after the loss of buildings from the advancing German army. There’s a lot to digest here, but I believe the photographs really do paint a vivid picture that must be seen to be understood.
Links for reference / more research:
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