The old Civil (or Civil) Registry or Registry of the Brugse Vrije is one of the oldest Renaissance buildings in Flanders. It is located on the Burg in Bruges, between the Mansion of the Brugse Vrije and the City Hall.
Completed in 1537, it housed the Registrar Civil, one of the most important city officials. The facade is completely built in natural stone and is richly decorated with sculptures. The bronze statues date from 1883 and are by the Bruges sculptor Hendrik Pickery.
The building has undergone three restorations. The first restoration ran from 1877 to 1881 and was led by city architect Louis Delacenserie. He gave the building back its 16th-century splendor by renewing or adding sculpture, decoration and polychromy. In 1980, after pre-hardening, the facades were cleaned. Finally, a scientific investigation during the years 1993-1996 culminated in a third restoration in 2001. With this last restoration an attempt was made to reproduce the original splendor of colours.
The building has been a protected monument since 1942 and designated as an established architectural heritage since September 2009. The building is still used today by the city council of Bruges.
Source: Wikipedia