Historic town hall Höxter
The historic town hall Höxter is a listed secular building in the East Westphalian town of Höxter in the district of Höxter ( North Rhine-Westphalia ).
History and architecture
The building, located at the intersection of two long-distance trade routes on the bridge market, was first mentioned in documents in 1351 and archaeologically dates to the middle of the 12th century. It is therefore one of the oldest town hall buildings in northwest Germany and was built in place of a previous building from the High Middle Ages.
The large rectangular building was built from plastered quarry stone with corner blocks. The half-timbered upper floor protrudes, the gables protrude four times. The three-storey stair tower with a Welscher hood and a lantern has moved out of the middle. In the late Middle Ages and early modern times, the building was also used as a court, prison, tavern and grain store. The basement and the ground floor were built according to excavation findings in the second half of the 13th century. From 1608 to 1618 a thorough renovation and expansion took place. From 1622 to 1623 a bay window was added on the west side instead of the medieval gate . Alterations to the roof were carried out after destruction in the Seven Years War in 1764, the half-timbered floor was largely renewed in 1783 and 1901. Archaeological excavations were carried out from 1988 to 1994, while installations from the early 20th century were removed.
The massive house box stands over an elongated, oblique-angled floor plan. The facade is structured by double windows with differently processed walls , the facade on the Weser side looks regular. The stair tower with corner blocks dates back to the water hammer from the beginning of the 17th century. The parts above were reconstructed in 1886 and 1901. The pilaster-framed basement portal with aedicule attachment is marked 1613, the door leaf is from 1693. The portal bears an inscription towards the spindle. On the west side there is a richly carved bay window on stone consoles. The column position corresponds to the ionic order . Justitia can be seen in the gable with sword and scales. In the rear north wall, facing the former market, the original structure has been preserved with seating niches and openings. The half-timbered upper floor is decorated all around with St. Andrew's crosses and rich threshold and frame carvings. The narrow windows are relatively high.
In the western third of the building there is a chimney block from the early 17th century, which indicates that the floors are divided into two. The cellar has two aisles, groined vaults rest on pillars that were set between 1608 and 1615. The medieval cellar with massive partition walls was probably flat covered. A stove, a well and a toilet niche are proven. The ground floor is divided into a hall and various chambers. From 1622 to 1623 the courtroom with a bay window was built in the southwest. In the hall there is a sandstone fireplace, marked 1614. It is closed with a splendid iron grille, which, like the rest of the historical furnishings, dates from 1906. Another chimney was found on the north side. Wooden pillars on pedestals with decorated headbands, sallwoods and fighters serve as free supports . The medieval ground floor was lower down, behind the 17th century cellar vaults a painted round arch frieze from the third quarter of the 15th century was discovered. The upper floor was originally divided into a hall and the large council chamber. The hall is like the one on the ground floor, but less high. In addition, the wall stands are decorated with heavily profiled headbands. In the stair tower there is a carillon with 35 bronze bells that is played five times a day.
The city's current town hall is now located in Westerbachstraße 45. The halls in the historic town hall can be used by the city for events such as B. concerts, theater performances, lectures and weddings can be rented. In the building there is the city's tourist information office and Ritmo Tapas - bar - restaurant .
Town hall as bat quarter and FFH area
The attic of the town hall was designated in 2004 as a FFH area Rathaus Höxter (DE-4222-304) with a size of 0.04 ha . In the attic of the town hall there is a nursery room for the great mouse- eared bat ( Myotis myotis ). The FFH area was designated to protect the nursery there. The aim is to maintain spaciousness, hanging places, and microclimatic conditions in the Höxter town hall, as well as the accessibility of the bat quarter by keeping the entry openings and the flight paths in front of them open. Disturbances during the rearing of the young should be prevented.
The nursery is filmed with infrared cameras and broadcast on the Internet.
literature
- Georg Dehio (founder), Ursula Quednau (ed.): North Rhine-Westphalia, Volume 2: Westphalia ( Handbook of German Art Monuments ). Deutscher Kunstverlag , Berlin / Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-422-03114-2 .
- Andreas König, Holger Rabe, Gerhard Streich: Höxter and Corvey in the Early and High Middle Ages. (= Höxter. Volume 1). Hahnsche Buchhandlung Verlag, Hanover 2003, ISBN 3-7752-9580-1 .
- G. Ulrich Großmann (Ed.): The town hall in Höxter. (= Writings of the Weser Renaissance Museum Schloss Brake. Volume 7). Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin / Munich 1994, ISBN 3-422-06146-0 .
Web links
- hoexter-tourismus.de Historic town hall
- Outline of the story and model (accessed April 22, 2012)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 4222-304 Höxter Town Hall. (FFH area) Profiles of the Natura 2000 areas. Published by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation . Retrieved March 14, 2017.
- ↑ Rathaus Höxter on the website to experience nature in NRW
- ↑ Rathaus Höxter on the website Kulturland Kreis Höxter
Coordinates: 51 ° 46'25.5 " N , 9 ° 22'56.3" E.