As you walk past the church, you will see on your left the Vleeshal (Meat Hall) at Grote Markt 18. This can be recognised by the stepped gable and the striking ornamentation. The city needed a meat hall, as the mushrooming population led to a growing demand for meat. In the seventeenth century, the city council commissioned city architect Lieven de Key to design a finely decorated building using the best materials. He used natural stone, which had to be imported from abroad, and adorned the building with the heads of sheep and oxen, reflecting the original function of the building. The Vleeshal was used primarily for meat trading.