The oldest part of the present Town Hall is its east wing . This wing, together with a small belfry,
was built from 1402 to 1420 under direction of Jacob van Thienen, and future
additions were not originally foreseen. However, the admission of the craft
guilds into the traditionally patrician city government probably spurred
interest in expanding the building. A second, shorter wing was completed within
five years of Charles the Bold laying its first stone in 1444. The right wing
was built by Guillaume de Voghel who in 1452 also built the Magna
Aula.
