Decrees and decisions have been passed in the beautiful rooms of Haarlem’s city hall for hundreds of years. The Gravenzaal is the most famous one; it is used as a reception and wedding room. If you want to admire city hall’s interior yourself, plan a tour during Open Monuments Day or get married here...Haarlem’s city hall was originally a count’s hunting mansion. He commissioned it in 1250 and organised ‘Deer Day’ every year. The count invited the elite for some deer hunting followed by a big feast at his mansion. Over time, ‘deer day’ was changed to ‘heart day’ – the Dutch words ‘hertjes’ (deer) and ‘hartjes’ (hearts) are very much alike. This carnival-like feast is still celebrated in Haarlem, Bloemendaal and parts of Amsterdam on the third Monday in August.