Nieuwpoort Town Hall and Stadshalle

The Nieuwpoort City Hall is a beautiful example of a smaller Flemish grain hall in late Gothic style, probably built around 1480. The first mention of a hall in Nieuwpoort dates back to 1280, which indicates a flourishing trading activity. After a city fire in 1383, the building even served as a temporary City Hall.During the First World War, the hall tower was blown up by the Belgian army on 17 October 1914 to prevent it from serving as a target for the enemy. The subsequent bombardments left hardly anything left of the medieval building. Architect Jozef Viérin led the reconstruction in the original style and material.In 1940, the hall was again damaged by an air raid, but was subsequently restored. From 1956, the building was given a museum function, first with a bird and shellfish museum, later with a museum for history and folklore. Since the restoration in the 1990s, the building has mainly served as an exhibition and reception area.The belfry of the Stadshalle was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, together with 23 other Flemish belfries — a sign of its historical and cultural value.

The Nieuwpoort grain hall belongs to the type of smaller Flemish halls from the Middle Ages. The late Gothic style suggests that this building was built around 1480. The flourishing trading history of our coastal city emphasizes that there was a hall in Nieuwpoort in 1280.
The halle was discussed again when collecting the count's tax in 1313.
After the fire disaster in 1383, when a large part of the city was destroyed, the hall even temporarily served as the Town Hall.
The Stadshalle also did not escape the destruction during the First World War. On October 17, 1914, the hall tower was dynamited by the Belgian army. This was to prevent the belfry from becoming a target for the German artillery. Four years of shelling did the rest. The medieval market building was transformed into a dreary mess.
During the reconstruction of Nieuwpoort, the Stadshalle and the belfry were reconstructed in the original style and with the same materials. The reconstruction was led by architect Jozef Viérin.
In May 1940, the Stadshalle was hit during a German air raid, resulting in a partial collapse of the roof.
After the damage from the Second World War was repaired, the ground floor was converted into a Museum of Birds and Crustaceans in 1956. There was a panoramic canvas of 60 meters long, which was restored by Marc Bollion in 1986. In 1972, the Museum of History and Folklore was housed in the upper room of the Stadshalle. The museums were dismantled in the 1990s to allow a complete restoration of the Stadshalle.
The Stadshalle is now mainly used as a reception and exhibition space for the City. The belfry has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999, together with 23 other belfry towers in Flanders.

The Town Hall in its current form dates back to 1922 in Flemish neo-renaissance. During the reconstruction after the First World War, the aim was to concentrate all important public buildings near the market square. For the construction of the new town hall, no fewer than four shops had to disappear. On the first floor is a model of Nieuwpoort in the year 1600.