CAMPEN, Jacob van
(b. 1596, Haarlem, d. 1657, Amersfoort)

Exterior view

begun 1648
Photo
Town Hall, Amsterdam

Jacob van Campen's undisputed masterpiece was the Amsterdam Town Hall (now the royal palace). The ground plan consists of a rectangle with two interior courtyards centred on an extensive monumental hall, the Burghers' Hall. The barrel vault and the fact that the hall stretches to the full height of the building gives it a distinctly religious feeling.

The exterior features two superimposed systems of Corinthian pilasters.