The town hall (built in 1565 and restored and enlarged in 1882) contains a historical picture gallery. The building was considered very large and imposing in its day; just after it was built in 1566
Lodovico Guicciardini referred to The Hague as
the most beautiful, richest, and biggest village of Europe. However, The Hague was not a walled town and therefore Guicciardini categorized it with the villages. For a village, the city hall must have seemed quite grand. That The Hague was thus vulnerable to attack makes it all the more amazing that the old city hall survived the Protestant Revolution without damage to older ornaments and windows. File:Oude stadhuis aan de Groenmarkt in Den Haag (41).JPG|Group portrait of magistrates standing before an allegorical presentation of Salomon's judgement, 1682 by
Jan de Baen File:Oude stadhuis aan de Groenmarkt in Den Haag (71).JPG|
Vierschaar with three paintings by
Willem Doudijns File:Oude stadhuis aan de Groenmarkt in Den Haag (20).JPG|
Overdoor by
Jacob de Wit illustrating
Audi alteram partem The interior of the building underwent a number of changes over time, including restoration of the interior decorations that ended in 1773. The statues on the facade depict "Faith", "Hope", "Love", "Strength", and "Justice". They were made by the Hague sculptor
Jan Baptist Xavery before 1742. A number of paintings and objects from The Hague's artists of the
Confrerie Pictura are found inside the building. ==See also==