Antwerp: The Vleeshuis

Somewhat hidden between a renovated (and ugly) residential quarter and the houses alongside the quays of Antwerp, stands the old Meat Hall (or Butcher's hall, or 'Vleeshuis' in Dutch).The elegant building in Gothic style was built with alternating layers of red bricks and white sandstone (sometimes referred to in Dutch as 'speklagen', or 'bacon layers') between 1501 and 1503. Architect De Waghemakere built it for the guild of the butchers of Antwerp. After the French Revolution, the guilds were abolished and the Meat Hall lost its original function. It was later used as a theatre and as a storage building for wine.
At the end of the 19th century the City of Antwerp bought the building and used it to house the Museum of Archeology and Applied Arts.