Bocholt town hall
The new town hall of Bocholt was designed by the architect Gottfried Böhm , winner of the Pritzker Prize . In addition to the administration, the listed building also houses the city council chamber, meeting rooms for the municipal parliamentary groups and the city theater with approx. 700 seats. A citizens' office has been located on a mezzanine floor since 1997 , and a branch for the Borken district is housed in the town hall. During the complete refurbishment and renovation of the town hall from February 2020, the offices were housed in other buildings in the city area.
The historic town hall of Bocholt is located on the market square.
Location and surroundings
The town hall is located on an artificial island in the Bocholter Aa on the edge of the city center. In front of it is Berliner Platz, which is used as a parking lot and for major events such as the Bocholt fair. The address is Berliner Platz 1, 46395 Bocholt .
architecture
The Bocholter Aa flows around the building so that it almost looks like a ship. Two small bridges lead to the town hall, there are also two drivable delivery areas on the narrow sides, u. a. for the stage of the theater. The so-called Bridge of Sighs crosses the Aa directly next to the town hall.
The building is designed as an open town house. Over the bridges one enters the central foyer , which is often used for smaller exhibitions. With its differentiated interior design and the choice of materials, it is a typical building of the 1970s. From here you can get directly to the council hall and the theater. At the rear is the city administration canteen, which is openly placed in the large area of the foyer. Stairs and elevators lead to the upper floors, where the administration is located. The offices are open plan offices that are , however, divided into small departments and units by partition systems. There are around 350 jobs here.
The facade is a completely transparent glass facade, which is horizontally structured by light green steel elements. In contrast, in the closed areas (such as the theater), bright red brick works . The facade is partly ornamentally described on the side facing Berliner Platz with data and facts about the city's history, also a beech tree, the city's coat of arms can be discovered here. As a reminiscence of the historic town hall, there is a bay window to the right of the main entrance, which is reminiscent of the decorative bay window of the Renaissance building.
The building has been a listed building since November 2, 2016. In March 2020, there was the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the architect Gottfried Böhm of the fiber optic heritage conservation, landscape and building culture in Westphalia as a monument of the month in Westfalen-Lippe excellent.
According to Böhm's plans, next to the town hall a. a. also the church of St. Paul including the community center as well as the treasury and sacristy of the church of St. George were built. His father, the architect Dominikus Böhm , designed the Heilig Kreuz church in Bocholt .
History of origin
Since the historic town hall did not offer enough space for the entire administration after the expansion of the administrative apparatus (especially in the post-war period), the city's administrative offices were housed in various buildings in the city before 1977. At the end of 1972, the city council therefore gave its approval for a new administration building and the construction of a theater at the same time. The architect Gottfried Böhm from Cologne won the architecture competition. In 1977 the new house was inaugurated. The construction costs amounted to 38 million DM .
Since the new town hall could no longer cover the space requirements of the city administration in the long run, additional areas were rented in the city, for example in the shopping arcades in 2000 .
literature
- Bauwelt magazine , 2/1978, topic: town halls, pp. 65–78
Web links
- New town hall Bocholt on baukunst-nrw
- Sightseeing New Town Hall on the homepage of the city of Bocholt
Individual evidence
- ↑ Redevelopment of the town hall with schedule. In: City of Bocholt. Retrieved February 15, 2020 .
- ↑ Volker Morgenbrod: Monument to the new town hall: the city lets the period of action expire. In: bbv-net.de. June 24, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Hans H. Hanke: Monument of the month: The "Bocholter Center Pompidou". Town hall, community hall and cultural center Bocholt. LWL monument preservation, landscape and building culture in Westphalia, accessed on April 1, 2020 .
Coordinates: 51 ° 50 ′ 12.8 " N , 6 ° 36 ′ 42.7" E