The town hall of Gouda is located on the Markt. The fifteenth-century town hall is one of the oldest Gothic town halls in the Netherlands
History
In 1395, the city council of Gouda bought the market square from the lords Van der Goude to build a town hall there. However, it would take until 1448 before construction began. According to the city historian Ignatius Walvis, the poor financial position of the city was the cause of the constant postponement. The new town hall served as a replacement for the old one, which according to Walvis stood on the Gouwe, on the site of the later brewery De Zwaan.[2] Others, however, locate the predecessor (from 1395) of the current town hall just east of the former police station on the Markt, with possibly a predecessor in a hall in the southern tip of the Markt.[3]
One of the stonemasons was Jan III Keldermans, a member of a Brabant family of architects Keldermans[4][5][6] from Mechelen. His son Andries also made a contribution[7]. The building was constructed from Belgian limestone. No piles were used for the foundation, but several rafts of heavy oak beams were used. In 1459, the construction of the town hall was completed after the completion of the turret, although it had already been put into use in 1450. In 1497, the town hall was renovated on the occasion of the visit of Philip the Fair to the city. In 1517/1518, the building was renovated. According to the historian Walvis, the town hall was surrounded by water until 1603 and would have been accessible by means of a drawbridge.[8] In that year (1603), the current landing in Renaissance style was made by the city sculptor Gregorius Cool.