Medal for the Inauguration of the Post Office in Ghent in 1913

This medal, engraved by Hippolyte Le Roy, depicts the two architects of the post office building in Ghent, which was erected in 1913. On the obverse, the busts of Louis Cloquet and Stéphane Mortier are shown, while the reverse bears inscriptions. In 1887, it was decided to demolish the 18th-century warehouse on the Korenmarkt to make way for a new…

This medal, engraved by Hippolyte Le Roy, depicts the two architects of the post office building in Ghent, which was erected in 1913. On the obverse, the busts of Louis Cloquet and Stéphane Mortier are shown, while the reverse bears inscriptions. In 1887, it was decided to demolish the 18th-century warehouse on the Korenmarkt to make way for a new Dutch theatre. However, the theatre was never built, and the site came under state ownership. Minister Van den Peereboom allocated the site for the construction of the "Grand Post Office." In 1897, the state-classified warehouse was demolished. In 1898, Louis Cloquet and Stéphane Mortier completed their basic plans, and two years later, the Muyncke brothers began work on the foundations. In 1902, contractor Van Driessche started the structural work, and in 1906, Van Autryve was commissioned for the finishing touches. The building was fully completed in 1908, but it was not until October 1910 that the postal services were relocated to the Korenmarkt. The façade decoration is particularly striking, featuring allegorical and heraldic representations alongside a series of portraits of heads of state.