Kampen - Town Hall

(Local Name: Stadhuis) In Oude Straat is Kampen's finest building, the Town Hall (Stadhuis), with a richly decorated facade. Originally 14th century, it was rebuilt in 1543 after a fire. The badly weathered Late Gothic statues on the facade were replaced in 1933-38 by copies. The most notable feature of the interior is the Schepenzaal (Magistrates' Hall), with heavy oak paneling, a Renaissance mantlepiece of 1545 and the carved oak stalls of the magistrates. The Town Hall also contains a number of pictures and a complete collection of portraits of the Princes of Orange, beginning with William I. The iron gate at the entrance to the tower was a trophy brought back to Kampen after the capture of Voorst Castle, near