Belgium's Antwerp City Hall is more than 400 years old, many rare artifacts can be seen

Now, in many ways, Antwerp City Hall in Belgium is something very special. This was constructed with Flemish and Italian influences. It has a place as one of the clock towers of Belgium. You can also guess its specialty from the fact that in the year 1999, it was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It's the main tourist attraction for visitors coming to Belgium.

There is the Antwerp City Hall, constructed during 1561-65 by the hard work of many architects, including Cornelis Floris, a Flemish sculptor and architect. In the 16th century, Antwerp became one of the busiest trading ports and prosperous cities in Northern Europe. This may be the reason why a grand city hall was felt necessary here at that time.

Antwerp City Hall is constructed in the Renaissance style of architecture. This pertains to European architecture constructed between the 15th and 16th centuries, somehow related to ancient Greece and Rome's civilizations. Especially in this style, one can notice semicircular arches, semicircular domes, and columns.

You can see the Virgin Mary along with all the other inspiring statues here. A number of murals were composed here by the Belgian painter Henry Leys, illustrating the main events in the history of the city and the lives of Belgian rulers. It has also undergone severe damage. Indeed, on 4 November 1576, mutinous Spanish soldiers of the Army of Flanders began the sacking of Antwerp, and thus the building was on fire. The building underwent renovation once in the late 19th century, so its interior has changed to a great extent.