Old Town Hall, Lo
Encyclopedia
Lo
Lo is a town in Lo-Reninge, a municipality of Belgium. It is notable as the location of Caesarsboom, an ancient European Yew designated a national monument of Belgium....
is a historic landmark in the municipality of Lo-Reninge
Lo-Reninge
Lo-Reninge is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Lo, Noordschote, Pollinkhove and Reninge. On January 1, 2006 Lo-Reninge had a total population of 3,306...
, in the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
province of West Flanders. Formerly the seat of the municipal government, the building is now a hotel and restaurant.
The hall was built in 1565-1566 in Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
style by Joos Staesin from Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
, in replacement of an older, dilapidated town hall. At the corner of the building is a belfry tower, supported in the front by two Tuscan columns
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
. The four walls at the top the tower end in step gable
Crow-stepped gable
A Stepped gable, Crow-stepped gable, or Corbie step is a stair-step type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building...
s, with louvered openings to let out sound from the bell chamber. The lower part of the tower, with round arches over the columns, encloses a platform from which proclamations were announced. On the middle of the building's three main stories, a distinctly Flemish dining hall has been preserved, with an elegant mantelpiece, oaken ceiling and old windows glazed with the coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of nobles and clergymen.