The Old Town Hall ( pl, Stary Ratusz, german: Breslauer Rathaus) of

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

stands at the center of the city’s

Market Square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

built from the

13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 ( MCCI) through December 31, 1300 ( MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched from Eastern Asia to Eastern Eu ...

is one of the main landmarks of the city. The Old Town Hall's long history reflects developments that have taken place in the city since its initial construction. The town hall serves the city of Wroclaw and is used for civic and cultural events such as concerts held in its

Great Hall A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages, and continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great ...

. In addition, it houses a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

and a basement

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

History

Carl Josef Alois Bourdet Rathaus in Breslau vor 1800

The town hall was developed over a period of about 250 years, from the end of 13th century to the middle of 16th century. The structure and floor plan changed over this extended period in response to the changing needs of the city. The exact date of the initial construction is not known. However, between 1299 and 1301 a single-storey structure with cellars and a tower called the consistory was built. The oldest parts of the current building, the Burghers’ Hall and the lower floors of the tower, may date to this time. In these early days the primary purpose of the building was trade rather than civic

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

activities. Between 1328 and 1333 an upper storey was added to include the Council room and the

Aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

’s room. Expansion continued during the 14th century with the addition of extra rooms, most notably the

Court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...

room. The building became a key location for the city’s commercial and administrative functions. The 15th and 16th centuries were times of prosperity for Wrocław as was reflected in the rapid development of the building during that period. The construction program gathered momentum, particularly from 1470 to 1510, when several rooms were added. The Burghers’ Hall was re-vaulted to take on its current shape, and the upper story began to take shape with the development of the Great Hall and the addition of the

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or in p ...

and Little Treasury. Further innovations during the 16th century included the addition of the city’s

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

(1536), and the rebuilding of the upper part of the tower (1558–59). This was the final stage of the main building program. By 1560, the major features of today’s Old Town Hall were established. The rapid development of the city meant that the Town Hall had to accommodate more administrative functions. During the 17th century, the allocation of space within the building was changed to ensure that all the town offices could be housed there. The ground floor was allocated for military purposes and the general public had access only to the basement, where alcohol was served. The second half of the 17th century was a period of decline for the city, and this decline was reflected in the Old Town Hall. Perhaps by way of compensation, efforts were made to enrich the interior decorations of the hall. In 1741,

became a part of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

, and the power of the City diminished. Much of the Town Hall was allocated to administering justice. During the 19th century there were two major changes. The courts moved to a separate building, and the Town Hall became the site of the city council and supporting functions. There was also a major program of renovation because the building had been neglected and was covered with creeping vines. The town hall now has several en-Gothic features including some sculptural decoration from this period. In the early years of the 20th century improvements continued with various repair work and the addition of the Little Bear statue in 1902. During the 1930s, the official role of the Town Hall was reduced and it was converted into a

. Toward the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Town Hall suffered minor damage – an aerial bomb pierced the roof (but did not explode) and some sculptural elements were lost. Restoration work began in the 1950s following a period of research, and this conservation effort continued throughout the 20th century. It included refurbishment of the clock on the east facade. Today, the Old Town Hall is open to visitors as the Museum of Bourgeois Art and is also the venue for temporary exhibitions and cultural events.

Architecture and Chambers

The Old Town Hall sits in the

Market square The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

. Originally, it was a single story building and was expanded over the years. The current form dates from the late 15th century with ornaments on the Eastern and Southern facades. The entrance is from the western side and it leads into the Burghers’ Hall. The Burghers’ Hall dates from the turn of the 14th century when it housed public gatherings and ceremonies. It was later used for commercial purposes. Today, it includes a map of Wroclaw (a modern copy of a 16th-century map). The next room is the

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

s’ Hall, also known as the Court Room. It dates from 1299, and was used by members of the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. It has a special podium for the administration of justice. Beyond that lies the

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

Chamber, dating from the first half of the 14th century. Here, important city decisions were made and you can find a Renaissance portal from 1528, probably painted by Andreas Walter. Until 1945, this room was richly decorated but some of the elements, such as wood paneling, furniture, and paintings, have been irretrievably lost. The wall paintings and baroque

cocklestove A masonry heater (also called a masonry stove) is a device for warming an interior space through radiant heating, by capturing the heat from periodic burning of fuel (usually wood), and then radiating the heat at a fairly constant temperature ...

, however, have survived. Next is the

Office, where the council secretary and receiver once worked. This was a popular office for clerks and was seen as a high-status profession. Architecturally, it still has its padded doors from 1429 and portraits of eminent town councilors. Upstairs is the Grand Hall, which dates from the second half of the 15th century. Here, official ceremonies took place.

Gallery

File:Stary Ratusz we Wrocławiu.jpg, East front File:Ratusz10.jpg, South front File:2019-07-02 Wroclaw market square.jpg, Aerial view File:Ratusz i Rynek we Wrocławiu o zmierzchu.jpg, Wrocław Town Hall at dusk File:Breslau um 1900.jpg, Old Town Hall in 1900 File:Destroyed Town Hall in Wroclaw 1945.gif, Old Town Hall in 1945 File:2017 Ratusz Staromiejski we Wrocławiu 02.jpg, Clock, east elevation File:2017 Minieuroland w Kłodzku, ratusz we Wrocławiu.jpg, Minieuroland in

Kłodzko Kłodzko (; cz, Kladsko; german: Glatz; la, Glacio) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse river. Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko Co ...

, Wrocław Town Hall

Bibliography

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References

External links