History

Probably at the turn of the 14th and 15th century an original local government building was erected in the middle of the Market Square. Unfortunately, its appearance is not known. The barrel vault with arches, which forms upper covering of one of the basement rooms, may date back to the 14th century. The Gothic town hall was destroyed in a fire of Świebodzin in 1541, then it was reconstructed within the boundaries set by the former building. The new three-bay town hall was built of brick and covered with gable roofs. It was flanked by two octagonal towers with Renaissance battlements to the west. In the 17th century, after the Thirty Years’ War, the towers were connected by means of a small wooden bridge. The town hall shaped in this way was surrounded by butcher’s shops, which survived until the 19th century. In 1827, one of the towers was demolished because of the threat of its collapse; the butcher’s shops were removed in 1854. Probably at that time, the facades were redecorated in the Gothic Revival style. The most recent renovations to the town hall were carried out in 2007-2009. The works involved cleaning up and painting the facades. In previous centuries, in addition to the town council, the building was used as the seat of a court of assessors, pharmacy and winery, among others. Currently, a large part of the building is used as the Regional Museum.

Description

The multi-storey building is built of brick on a rectangular floor plan. The western section of the tower is crowned with a crenellation. The east-facing facade is topped with three triangular pediments. The building is covered with three gable roofs. All facades of the town hall are decorated with pilasters, cornices and rustication. The interior of the building features the interesting original vaulting: a cross-rib vault and a barrel vault in the basement, and a diamond vault and a net vault with lunettes on the ground floor. In these rooms the Regional Museum organises permanent and temporary exhibitions illustrating the prehistory of the Świebodzin region, the history of the town, and natural features of the Lubusz Lakeland (exhibitions covering a vast array of specimens of flora and fauna, which make up an interesting natural collection).

Limited access to the monument. The museum is open from Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Compiled by dr Krzysztof Garbacz, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Zielona Góra, 22-09-2014 r.

Bibliography

• Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, t. 1: Powiaty: zielonogórski - świebodziński - krośnieński, Zielona Góra 2014, s. 128, fot. 71.
• Kowalski S., Miasta Środkowego Nadodrza dawniej. Historia zapisana w zabytkach, Zielona Góra 1994, s. 151-152.
• Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, s. 385-386.
• Wędzki A., Świebodzin, [w:] Kaczmarczyk Z., Wędzki A. (red.), Studia nad początkami i rozplanowaniem miast nad środkową Odrą i dolną Wartą (województwo zielonogórskie), t. 2: Dolny Śląsk, Dolne Łużyce, Zielona Góra 1970, s. 410, 414-415, 419.