The Halle aux Blés

Let us linger for a moment outside one of the town’s iconic buildings, the Halle aux Blés or corn exchange, also known as the Spanish House. The earliest references to a building on this spot date from 1380, but the building we see today, with its extremely rare half-timbering, dates from the 16th century (around 1530- 1540) and bears witness to the economic importance of Durbuy at the time, whose lands covered what are now several different communes. Its designation as the Halle aux Blés is somewhat misleading, and dates from the 19th century. The building in fact served a number of different purposes, housing both a covered market and the magistracy (the administrative and judicial centre for the county). The town declined in importance in the 17th century, as a result of the Thirty Years War and the disappearance of the iron-founding industry. The building fell into disrepair and the rear half, which had housed the covered market, had to be demolished in 1639. In the 18th century, it underwent further transformations but retained its role as the town hall until the end of the century. The building is now listed as an outstanding example of Wallonian heritage (as of 23/11/1976) and is home to the Durbuy Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.