Neustadtrathaus (Braunschweig)

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The late Gothic Braunschweiger Neustadtrathaus around 1430 on a drawing by Anton August Beck from the 18th century
The Braunschweiger Neustadtrathaus, here in the style of the early classicist renovation from 1785 (reconstructed 1974), August 2006
Drawing of the neo-classical converted town hall
Interior view 1892

The Neustadtrathaus in Braunschweig has its origins in the 13th century. It was the medieval center of the political precincts of Neustadt . From 1671 to 1830 it was the seat of the city administration, and in the 19th and 20th centuries it was an archive and museum.

History of construction and use

The town hall of the Weichbildes Neustadt was first mentioned in a document in 1294. In 1299, the citizens of the Neustadt received the right from the dukes Albrecht II and Heinrich to sell wine, cloth and other goods in the town hall. The council secured considerable income by renting out the clothes stalls on the ground floor. The town hall's wine cellar was first mentioned in 1350. Since 1386 the Neustadtrathaus was the meeting place of the common council and in phases also of the “ kitchen council ”, which gave it a citywide importance. Similar to the old town hall before it , the new town hall received a Gothic arcade around 1452, which was attached to the north side. In 1538 the Schmalkaldic Federal Assembly , the union of the Protestant imperial estates founded in 1531, met in the Neustadtrathaus.

Loss of urban independence in 1671

After the city was conquered by the Guelph sovereign in 1671, the soft picture councils were abolished. The city council, which was completely dependent on the duke, met at the Neustadtrathaus before the Dom dechanei became the new seat of the city administration in 1830 . The building has also been used as an archive since 1717. Between 1773 and 1785 the new town hall was rebuilt in the late baroque-early classical style by Ernst Wilhelm Horn .

19th and 20th centuries

In 1835 the archives were transferred from the Neustadtrathaus to the cloister of the Brothers Church.

Municipal collections

On May 1, 1865, the municipal collections headed by Ludwig Hänselmann , consisting of an archive , library and museum , opened in the restored Neustadtrathaus. In 1906 the municipal collections moved to the new building on Löwenwall.

Municipal School Museum

The free space was used to set up the Municipal School Museum, which opened on September 26, 1913. It comprised local history collections, a chemical and physical laboratory and a reference library. The school museum was used for exhibitions, lectures and experimental lessons. The building was handed over to the Nazi teachers' association on October 22, 1937 under the new name " Hans-Schemm -Haus". The building was partially destroyed by the numerous bombing raids during World War II.

On April 27, 1971, the council decided to transfer ownership of the Neustadtrathaus property free of charge to the entrepreneur and later honorary citizen Artur Wiswedel with the obligation to rebuild. This was completed in 1974. From 1974 to 1984 the Neustadtrathaus was the location of the social affairs department of the Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel University of Applied Sciences . Today several restaurants can be found here.

Building description

Neustadtrathaus 1773 by Anton August Beck .

Exterior construction

The medieval building had a floor area of ​​32 × 11.3 m. It had a cellar and had two upper floors. The late Gothic exterior was completely changed by the renovation in the 18th century. The building received clearly structured late baroque facades, whereby the medieval basic structure forced irregularities.

inside rooms

The medieval core building consisted of a two-story hall building. There was a wine cellar in the basement and on the first floor, while the large council chamber was upstairs. The large Dornse with the elaborate inlaid paneling created in 1573 was destroyed during the Second World War and not restored. The oil paintings of the participants in the Schmalkaldic War were located here.

literature

  • Elmar Arnhold: Neustadtrathaus. In: Medieval metropolis Braunschweig. Architecture and urban architecture from the 11th to 15th centuries. Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2018, ISBN 978-3-944939-36-0 , pp. 188-189.
  • Georg Dehio : Handbook of German Art Monuments, Bremen / Lower Saxony , Deutscher Kunstverlag, 1977.
  • Franz Fuhse : The small conference room in the Neustadtrathaus in Braunschweig , in: Yearbook of the History Association for the Duchy of Braunschweig 2.1903 ( digital copy )
  • Richard Moderhack : Braunschweiger Stadtgeschichte , Braunschweig 1997.
  • Fritz von Osterhausen: The building history of the Neustadtrathaus in Braunschweig (= Braunschweiger Werkstücke , Volume 51), Braunschweig 1973.
  • Norman-Mathias Pingel: Neustadtrathaus. In: Luitgard Camerer , Manfred Garzmann , Wolf-Dieter Schuegraf (eds.): Braunschweiger Stadtlexikon . Joh. Heinr. Meyer Verlag, Braunschweig 1992, ISBN 3-926701-14-5 , p. 167 .

Web links

Commons : Neustadtrathaus (Braunschweig)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 52 ° 15 ′ 59 ″  N , 10 ° 31 ′ 19 ″  E