The Liège style shines through in the architecture of the building and the typical combination of blue stone and red limewash. The Tongeren town hall also shows many similarities with other buildings attributed to Barbier such as the Prince-Bishop's Palace in Seraing (1724) and the abbot's house of Saint-Laurent in Liège (1727). Today the town hall is located on a beautiful open square.
Traces of histories
Did you see the eight marble spheres on the facade of the town hall on the outside? It is a work of art by the Belgian artist Wesley Meuris (1977). Using the marble spheres and a legend a little further on the square, Meuris provides an explanation of the physical gaps that you see today and leaves room for other (potential) historical stories.
For the Day
In addition to Traces of histories, artist Wesley Meuris designed another work of art for the city hall. On either side of the city hall, there were once 2 beautifully crafted lanterns. They testified to craftsmanship. Only one of the two lanterns survived the ravages of time. This lantern was replaced as part of the restoration of the city hall and is located on the left side of the building.
On the right side, Wesley Meuris attached a copy of the existing lantern: the artwork 'Voor de Dag'. In this way, the former symmetry of the building was restored. The new lantern was, however, made entirely of a reflective and mirrored material. At the top of the new lantern, Wesley Meuris added another playful element. The two balloons present seem to almost escape gravity. The balloons refer to the children who are born in Tongeren on an almost daily basis.