Most of the time, while thinking about palaces, people imagine something extravagant with scrolls, gilding, and outlandish statues. However, not all of them are equally sophisticated. An interesting exception is the City Hall of Tilburg, the building that previously was a royal palace.

The construction of the palace, more resembling a knight’s castle, was commissioned by King William II of the Netherlands. The renowned master Adriaan Goijaerts was the architect. Over 50 thousand guilders were doled out: it was a vast amount of money for that time. Work went as planned, and the new house pleased the king. Unfortunately, he died 22 days shy of the finished construction and never lived in the castle of his dream.

Initially, the royal palace had a slightly different look. It was built in the neo-Gothic style. But the facade was gradually simplified and changed and finally became modern. During reconstruction, architects and designers tried not to deviate much from the original project. They preserved volumes and forms, but some decorative elements such as towers, windows, balconies were made more modern and neater.

This attractive building in the centre of Tilburg served as a palace for a short time. For the first time, it was completely modified in 1865 and housed a private school. Its most famous student was Vincent van Gogh.

Then the school closed, and the building was given to the Ministry of Education of Tilburg. In the 1930s, the royal family sold the building to the municipality. It was empty at first, but then a strategic observation post was placed there.

In 1971, the old building experienced another restoration. There were added several structures used for ceremonies, weddings, lectures, and symposia. And the castle itself houses the city council of Tilburg.