Historic town hall (Landsberg am Lech)
The historic town hall in the west of the main square in Landsberg am Lech ( Bavaria ) is the most striking and beautiful building on the entire square. The facade is decorated with plenty of stucco and was designed by Dominikus Zimmermann in 1719 . It was built from 1699 to 1702 and the interiors were renovated in the 1990s. In these interiors are large paintings by Hubert von Herkomer , as well as four frescoes by the artist Ferdinand von Piloty in the ballroom, which tell of the city's past.
description
The high, slim front of the facade is regularly divided into five axes . The windows get higher from floor to floor according to the proportions of the golden section , according to the importance of the rooms behind them. On the first floor there is the room of the inner council, above it the former hall of the outer council and finally the high ballroom of the city on the upper floor. The ground floor zone is open with three arched portals. The richly decorated gable zone ends in a high, blown gable. There is an obelisk here, crowned by the Eye of God. In the center of the gable is a shell-covered niche with figurative decorations.
Image program of the facade
The imagery of the facade with the reliefs under the windows and the figures in the niche of the gable show a program that proclaims the fame and glory of the sovereign and the city government. At the same time it is an expression of the virtue of a well-ordered city regiment. The half-length figures of three women are shown under the window parapet of the first floor: on the left Susanna , besieged by two old men, on the right Judith with the head of Holofernes . The middle female figure cannot be interpreted because of the later additions to the attribute. The Old Testament women stand for the moral order in the city, for steadfastness and strength as well as for courage and cunning in favor of the common good.
The reliefs of ancient heroes and rulers are shown under the windows of the second floor. These are a sign of military strength and cleverness as well as in the sense of the legitimation of the city regiment and sovereign rulers through the glory of history. Special importance is assigned to the pediment. In the middle niche, two female figures (personification of Caritas (charity) with the flaming heart and Spes (hope) with a large anchor) hold the laurel wreath of victory over the Landsberg coat of arms with its cross on a mountain of three . This cross, which stands for Fides (faith), complements the two allegorical figures that represent the three theological virtues: faith, hope and love. The obelisk is another symbol that has been firmly established since the Renaissance: it admonishes the main virtues of the authorities, sincerity and steadfastness.
Todays use
The building is still the meeting place of the Landsberg City Council and is also used for civil weddings . Landsberg's tourist office is on the ground floor . From 2006 to 2007 this was temporarily closed for renovation and expansion.
Monument protection
Today the building is registered as an architectural monument in the Bavarian list of monuments. The description reads:
"Stately four-storey saddle roof building with lively stucco facade and tail gable, merged from two buildings from the 14th century as a municipal building, around 1509, in several phases of construction as a town hall and expanded, from 1699, Baroque transformation by Dominikus Zimmermann u. a., 1716–21, several renovations, after 1762; with equipment "
Previous construction
Before the historic town hall was built, the town hall function was divided between 1697 and 1702 among other town-owned buildings.
The previously existing town hall building, which was built at the end of the 13th century, was demolished in 1698 due to its dilapidation. At this point the large market fountain, now called "Marienbrunnen", was placed.
literature
- Heide Weißhaar-Kiem: Landsberg am Lech town hall . Schnell und Steiner publishing house, Munich / Zurich 1991 (Art Guide No. 1954).
- Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Dagmar Dietrich: City of Landsberg am Lech . Volume 1. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Bamberg 1995, ISBN 3-422-00571-4 , p. 302 f.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b List of monuments for Landsberg am Lech (PDF) at the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, monument number D-1-81-130-94
- ^ Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, Dagmar Dietrich: City of Landsberg am Lech . Volume 1. Bamberg 1995, ISBN 3-422-00571-4 , p. 302 f.
Coordinates: 48 ° 2 ′ 59.3 " N , 10 ° 52 ′ 35.1" E