A representative example of an early modern public building in Silesia.

History

The town hall was erected in 1656, replacing an older building which had been lost to the blaze. The new town hall was unfortunately destined to suffer a similar fate, for it was engulfed by the flames in 1726; to make matters worse, its tower has collapsed during the reconstruction of the edifice in 1742. The town hall owes its present appearance to the master brickmason Menzel from Bolesławiec and master carpenter Anton Zugehoer, who led the reconstruction effort in 1795. The interiors were redesigned in 1904; even before that, the building underwent the first series of renovation works in 1880; subsequent restoration works were conducted in 1972 and 1998.

Description

The building is located in the town centre, in the middle of the market square. Designed on a rectangular floor plan, it is a two-storey brick and stone structure with a converted attic. Its overall shape is compact and features shallow avant-corps on both the southern and the northern side, with the northern avant-corps being topped with a stepped gable adorned by a projecting cornice. The building is covered with a tall mansard roof with jerkin heads. The façades are covered with plaster and adorned with corner pilasters. The individual façades are separated by a broad plasterwork cornice surmounted by a smooth frieze. The window openings are rectangular in shape, arranged in a regular pattern. Some windows are adorned with decorative panels positioned between the window openings, while others feature festoons and decorative window headers.

The interiors may be explored during the opening hours of the Municipal Office.

compiled by Piotr Roczek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 30-03-2015.

Bibliography

• Słownik Geografii Turystycznej Sudetów. Vol. 2 Pogórze Izerskie, Vol. II, M. Staff (ed.), Wrocław 2003, pp. 121-122,
• Zabytki sztuki w Polsce. Śląsk, Warsaw 2006, p. 613.