Old Town Hall

Munich, Germany

The Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) serves today as a building for representative purposes for the city council in Munich. The Old Town Hall bounds the central square Marienplatz on its east side.

The building, documented for the first time in 1310, had its Grand Hall constructed in 1392/1394. The former Talburg Gate of the first city wall serves as spire. The Old Town Hall was re-designed in late-gothic style by Jörg von Halsbach 1470-1480. The Grand Hall was decorated by the Morris dancers, created by Erasmus Grasser. After alterations of the facade during the Renaissance and again in the Baroque the building was restored in neo-gothic style 1861-1864. In 1874 the municipality moved to the New Town Hall.

For the passage of increased road traffic the Old Town Hall was tunneled in 1877 with a drive-through and a separate pedestrian's passage, as well as once again in 1934/35, this time finally destroying the original ground floor. During World War II the building was severely damaged and the spire was reconstructed in 1971-1974. Parts of the neo-Gothic elements, especially the statues of Ludwig the Bavarian (west facade) and Henry the Lion (east facade) and the gable design are preserved.

The Grand Hall was the venue for the speech of Joseph Goebbels on November 9, 1938 which is known as the prelude for the Kristallnacht (Crystal Night, a pogrom against Jews).

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Address

Marienplatz 15, Munich, Germany
See all sites in Munich

Details

Founded: 1392
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Germany
Historical period: Habsburg Dynasty (Germany)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Vỹ Nguyễn (3 years ago)
Frederick the Fair donated the original building on the site to the city council in 1316 and has been owned by the city ever since. It was the site of the execution of Franz III. Nádasdy on 30 April 1671 in the wake of the Magnate conspiracy. On 26 May 1848, during Vienna's March Revolution, it housed meetings of the People's Security Committee, as memorialised by a plaque on the building. Since 1871 Sankt Salvator has been in the care of the Old Catholic Church of Austria, which was founded by those rejecting the doctrine of papal infallibility, though that new religious community was only recognised by the Austrian state in 1877. The Altes Rathaus last housed a meeting of Vienna's city council on 20 June 1885, with the first at the Neue Rathaus three days later. The Altes Rathaus now houses the municipal offices for the 1st and 8th districts of the city, the inner city's local history museum (Bezirksmuseum Innere Stadt) and the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance. In 1893, it was the site of the founding of the Allgemeiner Österreichischer Frauenverein.
Alex Turbin (3 years ago)
Zero stars just for not accepting cards. Incredibly irresponsible behavior!
Lau Shan (3 years ago)
the old town hall was built in 1470 by Jörg von Halsbach now it's a toy museum
Helen W (3 years ago)
We were invited to this beautiful room - the Festsaal - for an official event. It was a real privilege to be there. The catering was very good, but external, so can vary, depending on the booking.
Fredrick Aviles (3 years ago)
The rotunda composed of domestic sandstone, designed by the court architect Giovanni Salucci, turned out to be a monument for the popular Queen. Since the beginning of the 20th century the Sepulchral Chapel is publicly available. Russian Orthodox church services are still celebrate today.
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