Old Town Hall (Minden)

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The old town hall in Minden

The old town hall in the East Westphalian city ​​of Minden has been the seat of the Citizens' Council since 1260, later the city ​​council and the city ​​administration . Its arcade dates from the 13th century and survived the destruction of the Second World War. The town hall stands on the city's saucer on the market square just outside the old cathedral freedom . The building is entered in the list of monuments of the city of Minden . In December 2010, a celebration took place in the town hall for the presumed 750th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone.

history

Market square in Minden with the town hall, around 1840
Town hall in Minden before 1911
View into the arcades of the arcade
View of the arcade from the outside

The council of the city of Minden was so well established in 1260 that it required its own representative building. He therefore had the town hall, known as the “New Works”, built on the north side of the market in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral Freedom. With its arcade and stone structure, the building underlined the power of the council over the Bishop of Minden . The unrepresentative and unadorned predecessor building, the "old factory", was already included in the new building.

The exact date of the laying of the foundation stone cannot be determined from the sources, but a document from the bishop speaks of a transept, which could mean the town hall. It is assumed that the foundation stone was laid between 1256 and 1264.

The town hall is the oldest surviving example of a monumental , Gothic town hall architecture in Westphalia . The arcade on the ground floor on the street side consists of a four-bay , rib-vaulted arcade. The openings in the arbor facing the market square are divided by central columns, above each of which two pointed arches and a large circle of tracery rise. The exits of the arcade are designed with ogival openings. The vault shape, the capital sculpture and the arcade design show influences of the cloister architecture and the simultaneous construction of the new nave of Minden Cathedral .

From 1659 to 1662 there was a major renovation: The town hall courtyard was built over and a large representative town hall hall was set up on the first floor, which was built in the Renaissance style. This renovation was supplemented by the installation of a clock tower at the beginning of the 18th century.

Except for the arcade, the town hall was destroyed during the Second World War. After the war there was a discussion about the form in which the town hall should be rebuilt. Finally, an agreement was reached on the architect Werner March , who built a new, calmly structured facade, including the early Gothic arcade. The stones required for this came from the Bismarck Tower on Jakobsberg, which was demolished in 1952 . In 1978 the new building of the New Town Hall, located next to the Old Town Hall, was built by the architect Harald Deilmann and connected to the Old Town Hall.

In 1980, a bronze clock by the artist Hans Möhlmann was installed on the east side of the town hall facing the Kleiner Domhof .

A comprehensive renovation of the old town hall and the other administrative buildings are planned for the years 2017 to 2021 . To this end, the administrative units are moving to other buildings in the city, many of them in the house of the New Minden Government on Weserglacie on Portastraße. To this end, the building will disappear behind scaffolding for one year from May 2018.

750 years town hall of Minden

The Minden Association for Stamp Collectors has issued a special cancellation for the anniversary "750 years of the town hall of Minden".

Web links

Commons : Historisches Rathaus (Minden)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Journey into medieval Minden", Mindener Tageblatt from December 9, 2010, accessed in December 2010
  2. ↑ Internet portal "Westphalian History": The Minden Town Hall accessed in March 2010.
  3. ^ The rededication of the Minden town hall in 1955 ( Memento from January 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) by M. Schulte, accessed in March 2010
  4. ↑ Page of the Ratsgymnasium Minden with information on the town hall clock, accessed in March 2010
  5. ^ City of Minden: City Hall renovation , accessed on September 2, 2017.
  6. ^ Mindener Tageblatt: City Hall for 60 weeks in the framework. Print version from April 22, 2018.

Coordinates: 52 ° 17 '18.9 "  N , 8 ° 55' 0.9"  E