The red business card for the European Year of Culture
The modern concert hall in Het Zand Street was completed in time for the 2002 European Capital of Culture period. The complex has 1,290 seats on three levels in the large hall and 320 in the small hall. There is also a café and rooms for exhibitions in the lantern tower (Lantaarntoren) from which you also have a great view of the historic old town. The building was constructed on almost 5,000 piles and has excellent acoustics thanks to the latest technology. The façade is covered with thousands of red terracotta tiles from northern France. Shortly after its opening, the building was criticized as inappropriate for its surroundings, but today it has been widely and favorably accepted as a welcome addition to the city's cultural life.
