City Hall of Torhout

City Hall of Torhout
Stadhuis van Torhout
The City Hall in 2006
General information
Type	City hall
Architectural style	German Baroque style
Location	Markt 1 8820 Torhout, Belgium
Coordinates	51°04′44″N 3°03′34″E / 51.078925°N 3.05948351°E / 51.078925; 3.05948351
Construction started	1711
Completed	1713
Inaugurated	1713
Client	Charles III Philip
Owner	City of Torhout
Height	22 m (72 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	3

The City Hall of Torhout (Dutch: Het Stadhuis van Torhout) was the residence of the mayor and the bench of aldermen during their meetings up until the completion of the new City Hall in 2014. It is located on the market in the center of Torhout, West Flanders, Belgium.

Torhout received its city privileges in 1183–1184 from Count Philip I of Flanders. At this time the city was already growing in size, and, thanks to the newly received privileges, a City Hall could be built. The first City Hall was built on exactly the same place as the current one, but in 1184 it was located near the Cloth Hall, the Belfry, the church, the wool market and the cloth market. The City Hall stood firm until Torhout was attacked in 1578 during the religious troubles of the late 16th century. The church's interior and archive documents (from the 11th-16th century) from the City Hall were already burned and destroyed by the Geuzen during the Beeldenstorm of 1566, but this time most of the medieval buildings, including the church, the City Hall, the Cloth Hall and the hospital, were lost.

Torhout slowly recovered from the damage that was inflicted in 1578 and finally managed to build another City Hall in the early 17th century some 20 meters southwest from the original City Hall's location. The second City Hall can be seen on the left side of a 1641 drawing from the book Flandria Illustrata. This City Hall only had a short existence as it was destroyed in a fire in 1647.

The City Hall that still stands to this day was built in German Baroque style during the period of 1711 to 1713 on the request of Charles III Philip, Lord of Wijnendale. His family crest can still be found above the front entrance of the building. The building stood on its own until 1806, when a prison was built right next to it. The prison only stood until 1864 before being demolished and replaced with a music school. Other buildings also joined the City Hall, including a printing office and some regular houses. There were plans to demolish the City Hall during the 19th century because it was getting too small; it was saved from this fate because of money shortage.