History

The building, erected in the years 1744-47 based on the design by Christoph Gottlieb Hedemann, was intended to replace an earlier, 16th-century structure which sustained severe damage in 1739 as a result of the collapse of its tower; the remnants of this earlier town hall can still be seen on the basement level. The town hall was restored on a number of occasions, including in 1924, when the interiors were redesigned and when both the staircase and the Council Hall received a new décor created by Ernst Ruelke, a sculptor from the Cieplice academy of woodcarving and carpentry. Further renovation works took place in the years 1957-59, in 1973 as well as in recent years.

Description

The town hall is located in the middle of a market square. The building is designed in the Late Baroque style. Designed on a rectangular floor plan with the longer side running alongside the north-west - south-east axis, the town hall features a compact, three-storey main body, its longer façades following an eleven-axial layout with a three-axial avant-corps projecting from the middle of each façade and accentuated with triangular tympanums. The building features a mansard roof with dormers and an imposing, square tower at the centre, topped with an octagonal cupola with a tower clock and an open, arcaded lantern. A gilt sculpture of an eagle is perched atop the tower’s spire. A pronounced string course separates the ground floor from the upper storeys above. The building’s façade feature a plaster finish, with the corners and avant-corps accentuated by giant order pilasters. Small balconies with a semi-circular outline can be seen above the entrances leading into the building. Window openings are rectangular in shape, topped with semicircular and segmental arches and adorned with decorative surrounds. Some of the first-floor windows are also accentuated with triangular window headers. The ground floor and basement levels feature vaulted ceilings. Inside, some of the rooms still boast the period plasterwork and sculptural decorations such as the reliefs and panelling incorporating various motifs inspired by the legends of the Sudety mountains.

A connecting gallery adjoins the town hall at the second floor level, linking it to a complex of houses located east of the building and forming a cluster which occupies the middle of the market square. These structures - known as “the seven houses” - underwent a comprehensive refurbishment in the 1970s and have served as office buildings ever since.

A stone well with a sculpture of Neptune (1727) can be seen in front of the southern façade of the building, its design attributed to Georg Leonard Weber.

The building is accessible to visitors. The interiors may be visited during the opening hours of the Municipal Office. Some of the rooms may only be viewed by prior appointment.

compiled by Piotr Roczek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 28-10-2014.