Houses of Ranst

The Wolmarkt is home to some of the city's most beautiful residences, which were originally owned by the noble van Ranst family. It is likely that the van Ransthuizen (nos. 15-17, 19 and 21) originally formed one large whole. It is believed that these houses came into the possession of this family as early as the 15th century. Several members worked their way up to become important public officials in the city. Adrianus (1568) and Jacobus (1653) van Ranst both became mayors of Tienen.

The current houses were built after 1635, after the original buildings were totally destroyed during the "Tiense furie". The richly decorated wall anchors, applied to the façade, confirm that the houses no. 15-17 were built in 1636. The house no. 19 from 1661 is a double house, consisting of two floors with a higher central section, under a gable roof that is set between side stepped gables. In the first floor of this house one can admire Tuscan capitals, which end in Ionic columns on the second floor. The beautifully belted window frames are executed in Louis XIV style. The beautiful baroque round-arched door can be reached via a façade of four steps. The central keystone depicted the coat of arms, which has now been cut away, surmounted by a strongly overhanging pediment.

The three houses are a fine example of the fusion of different styles, namely the traditional brick and sand style, the Baroque and the Louis XIV style

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