page_title: Oudenaarde Town Hall
section_title: Interior
hierarchical_section_title: Oudenaarde Town Hall / Interior
caption_attribution_description: English: Portal crafted by Pauwel van der Schelden opens into the Schepenzaal of the Town Hall of Oudenaarde, Belgium
context_page_description: The Town Hall of Oudenaarde, Belgium was built by architect Hendrik van Pede in 1526–1537 to replace the medieval Schepenhuis that occupied the same site. Another older structure, the 14th-century Cloth Hall, was retained and now forms a sort of extension at the back of the Town Hall proper.
context_section_description: The Town Hall initially combined functions of government and commerce, with rooms on the ground floor reserved for traders: the Corn House, Weighhouse and Lower Cloth Hall. Today, this floor accommodates the town's tourism office.
  On the second floor, an elaborate portal crafted by Pauwel van der Schelden opens into the Schepenzaal, where the aldermen of Oudenaarde convened. The People's Hall takes up the front of the same floor, alongside the terrace overlooking the market square. This was the main room for receptions, banquets and entertainment.
  The Town Hall boasts a collection of relics from Oudenaarde's past. The tapestries hanging in the Lower Cloth Hall and the adjacent Cloth Hall building represent an art form that brought the city fame between about the 15th–18th centuries. Another specialty of Oudenaarde during that time was the silversmith's trade, whose wares are displayed in the Silver Room on the third floor. The third floor also houses the Municipal Museum with various local art and artifacts.
caption: Portal by Pauwel van der Schelden
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