It has performed its initial function ceaselessly, being the seat of municipal authorities.

History

The need to build a town hall in Szydłowiec arose in the late 16th century, when Mikołaj Krzysztof Radziwiłł, and later his son Albrycht Władysław Radziwiłł, were the owners of the town. The construction works began in 1602. Kasper Fodyga, an architect with Italian origins who settled in Chęciny, was an author of the design and the main builder. The construction of the feature was completed in 1629. The town hall was located in accordance with the provisions of the Magdeburg Law, in the middle of the quadrangular market square, with its front facing the east.

In 1809 the feature was devastated by the Austrians. The building received the current form of the roof parapet in 1829. In the 1830s external wooden stairs leading to the second floor of the tower were constructed. Window openings on the top storey were cut out in the second half of the 19th century, when the loft was adapted to utility purposes. The building suffered damage during World War I. In 1914 the Austrian troops blew the upper storeys of the tower up. The town did not have funds for the reconstruction, therefore the remainder was covered with a provisional roof and the entrance to the second storey was routed along external stairs. Before World War II there were plans to rebuild the tower, however, the works finally began in the years 1949-1952. Gradual restoration of the building took place in subsequent years. On the basis of the design prepared by Stanisław Skibniewski, the body regained its appearance from before the mid-19th century.

Description

The town hall is a building made of stone, plastered. It has a rectangular body with gables in the form of round towers with small cupolas. The building is crowned with a tall parapet, obstructing bath-type roofs. An adjacent, multi-storey tower projecting along the front façade axis was erected on the eastern side. Set on a square plan, it gives way to an octagonal body in the part above the town hall, with a porch resting on corbels; it is covered with a cupola. Facade windows in Late Renaissance surrounds. A three-zone roof parapet, partitioned by cornices with blind arcades and pilasters.

Contemporary white façades of the town hall were decorated with sgraffito containing floral motifs, while the archways included figures. They were discovered during renovation works in the years 1949-1952.

Currently the town hall is a seat of municipal authorities: mayor and city board. A café is located in the basement carved in stone.

The structure can be visited during the opening hours of municipal offices.

Compiled by Bartłomiej Modrzewski, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Warsaw, 28-11-2014.

Bibliography

• Katalog zabytków sztuki w Polsce, t. III, Województwo kieleckie,

  red. J. Z. Łoziński, B. Wolff, z. 10. Powiat radomski, inwent. K. Szczepkowska, E. Krygier, J. Z. Łoziński, Warszawa 1961.

• D. Słomińska-Paprocka, Powiat szydłowiecki w województwie mazowieckim, Szydłowiec 2009.