Old Town Hall of Schoorl - Schoorl

Along the Duinweg in picturesque Schoorl stands a small, striking building with a stepped gable. Unassuming to some, yet a little house of great significance. This is the old town hall of Schoorl, a national monument breathing over four centuries of history.

The year is 1601. The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands is on the rise and Schoorl gets a new town hall. Built in elegant Dutch Renaissance style, with ornate volutes, robust natural stone blocks and a proud stepped gable, the building becomes the heart of village administration. Inside, meetings are held, justice is served, and minor offenders are locked up in the basement cell. In 1800, the council chamber gets a special addition: a Zaan-style fireplace.

Time marches on, and by the end of the 19th century, the building has become too small for the growing municipality. In 1901, the town hall closes its doors as the administrative centre.

Three decades later, a road widening threatens the building’s existence. But then the Hendrick de Keyser Association steps in. In an impressive restoration effort, the little town hall is taken down brick by brick and rebuilt a few metres away. Architect Jan de Meijer ensures that the building retains its historical appearance.

The 21st century brings a new purpose for the town hall. Stichting Verwondering 1601 transforms it into a so-called Wunderkammer: a cabinet of curiosities displaying exotica, fossils, taxidermy, jewellery and other marvellous objects. Regularly, living room concerts and lectures are held there.

In front of the town hall stands a statue of Jan van Scorel, the famous Renaissance painter born in Schoorl in 1495. His presence as a statue links the place to an even deeper past, a silent guardian watching over the village’s story.