The building was completed in 1587. Originally, Prince Maurits wanted a church and a town hall to be built in the young village. Due to the war situation there was no money for this. A kind of multifunctional town hall was thus designed in which church services could also be held and which was equipped with a tower with a bell. The small bell was cast by the Utrecht bronze founder Thomas Both. This bore the inscription: Soli Deo Gloria – Thomas Both me fecit 1588. It was transferred in 1610 to the Dome Church, which was completed around that time. The large bell, which still hangs in the town hall tower, probably dates from the end of the 12th century and is therefore perhaps the oldest existing bell in North Brabant. This bell was requisitioned by the occupying forces in 1943, but it was not melted down and could be hung back in the tower in 1945.
The tower also contained a calling chair with a brick star vault. The coat of arms above the vocational chair was removed in 1798, during the Batavian Republic. A weather vane in the shape of a merman with a sword was placed on the roof in 1588.
In 1620, the previously simple building was decorated with a Flemish facade, designed by Frans Leenwijnsse. Some skylights were installed in the new roof and the attic served as a storage place for tools of war, such as halberds and the like. The heraldic stones in the facade were also removed in 1798, only to be reinstalled in 1937.
In 1786 the building underwent a complete restoration, during which the old stones had to be cleaned so that the building would obtain one smooth, uniform and graceful colour. In 1812 the spire was demolished and a Chappe semaphore was placed on the tower, which was removed again in 1815, after the fall of Napoleon, after which the spire was rebuilt.
In 1973, the town hall was moved to the Mauritshuis, before being sold by the municipality of Moerdijk in 1999. It was bought by a private individual and restored, only to be reopened in 2005.
Originally, Prince Maurits wanted a church and a town hall to be built in the young village. Due to the war situation there was no money for this. A kind of multifunctional town hall was thus designed in which church services could also be held and which was equipped with a tower with a bell.
Translated by Google •
Sign up for a free komoot account to get 2 more insider tips and takes.