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Museum Hilversum
1768/1882/2004 / J. Rietbergen / H. Ruijssenaars

Kerkbrink 6

Museum Hilversum is partly located in the original town hall of Hilversum. The core of the striking building on the Kerkbrink is now about 250 years old, making it one of the oldest buildings in Hilversum. The Old Town Hall, as this part of the museum is known to many Hilversum residents, was designed in 1880-1881 by municipal architect Johannes Rietbergen (1836-1896) and was used as Hilversum town hall until 1931. In 2002 the building was designated a national monument.

Old Town Hall

The expansion of the municipal duties as well as the enormous population growth that the municipality experienced in the second half of the nineteenth century necessitated the expansion of the existing regthuys from 1768. The then municipal architect Johannes Rietbergen drew up a plan to renovate the building, whereby the regthuys was significantly enlarged. For the public there was a monumental staircase with a platform that provided access to the town hall. The building was given a Neo-Renaissance appearance, which is reflected in the construction of the facade with plastered substructure (an imitation of natural stone), gray (imitation) bacon layers, red brick and the frequent use of pilasters, cornices and pediments. The Neo-Renaissance style, also referred to at the time as Old Dutch Renaissance, was considered eminently suitable for town halls because it referred to earlier town halls from the seventeenth century, a period that (at the time) stood for civic pride and self-awareness.

Ceiling paintings

The ceiling in the former council chamber of the Oude Raadhuis, which nowadays mainly serves as an extra exhibition space, was painted in 1889 by the then well-known Hague firm W. Stortenbeker & Zoon. The paintings symbolize good governance and a prosperous city, in which citizens live together safely and in harmony.

Restoration

In 1987, after a period of vacancy and neglect, the building was extensively restored and modern facilities were added to improve comfort. The Goois Museum was housed in the building. The ceiling paintings were cleaned and restored by a specialized restorer. The paintings on linen turned out to have been stored rolled up in the depot of the Goois Museum for a long time and were considerably damaged. The middle part was missing. The current shape of this central part: a star with points referring to the surrounding municipalities, is an idea of ​​restoration architect P.D. Van Vliet.

Museum Hilversum

In 2005 the Goois Museum was merged into Museum Hilversum. In that year, the museum was given a round extension designed by architect Hans Ruyssenaars. In terms of material use, detailing and color scheme, the new building matched the existing Oude Raadhuis. The interior of the new building has a surprising spatial effect in which a central lantern and glass strips at the corners provide a lot of light from above and from the side.