Palace of Justice Tournai

Located in the center of a vast tree-lined and grassy esplanade , the Tournai courthouse is an imposing four-sided building in neoclassical style, the work of the architect Charles-Damas Vincent.

It was built between 1875 and 1879 , on the site of the old fortress of Vauban . Covered with a fairly flat slate gable roof, the main facade, in limestone and sandstone, shows perfect symmetry and balance. The entrance bay is preceded by a monumental staircase and framed by double columns supporting a classical entablature surmounted by a pediment where justice sits.

During construction, specialists expressed doubts about the stability of the building . However, the architect Janlet gave a favorable opinion about the safety of the people who worked there and these doubts were dispelled.

As soon as the Palace was operational, it was unanimously condemned. Some of the criticisms were "the deplorable acoustics of the criminal court's courtroom, most of the windows close so poorly that cold air seeps in everywhere, the ceiling of the presidential room has already collapsed , at the secretariat of the public prosecutor's office and in the lawyers' room the windows are three meters above the ground, it is sad and cold ."

Paintings and tapestries decorate the walls

In May 2021, the State Secretary in charge of the Construction Administration and the mayor of the city of Tournai signed a protocol agreement regarding the transfer, by means of long lease, of land located opposite the prison of Tournai.

The aim would be to build a new Palace of Justice that would meet the current needs of Justice in Tournai and that would bring together the judicial institutions currently spread throughout the city.

Willem Vandenameele