The Great Armoury

The Great Armoury wears a facade of ornate, gold-flecked sandstone, set apart from the surrounding brick by its Dutch Mannerist gables and the statue of Minerva perched above the entrance. Built in the early seventeenth century, this structure held the city's military stores and gunpowder. Master builder Anton van Obberghen designed it to project wealth and strength. When a fire broke out in nineteen forty-five, the interior was gutted, leaving only the elaborate, decorative outer shell to survive the destruction of the city.