Town Hall (Hechingen)
The New Town Hall on the market square in Hechingen is the seat of the mayor, the city council and the headquarters of the city administration . The building with seven floors was built from 1956 to 1958 according to plans by Paul Schmitthenner in the classical style.
history
The first mention of a town hall in Hechingen is dated to 1461. In 1510 a new Gothic town hall is mentioned by Count Eitel Friedrich II von Hohenzollern . This town hall can be seen on the engraving by Matthäus Merian from 1643. In 1768, renovation work was carried out on the town hall: the rear front was completely replaced by half-timbering . Furthermore, large parts of the walls were reduced so that more usable space was created. During a renewed renovation in 1815, school rooms and another floor were to be built under the direction of Colonel von Hövel. Based on Hövels' report, the Friedrichsburg, the old city palace, had been demolished a year earlier. The entire Gothic facade including the town hall tower, which was previously described as "mighty", was razed . However, it was found that the foundation could not support another floor, so that construction work had to be stopped. The town hall, which looks like a new building, used the then modern stylistic elements of classicism .
Under Mayor Sebastian Werner, plans for a “restoration” in a neo-Gothic style were drawn up while Princess Eugenie von Hohenzollern was still alive . After her death in 1847, these plans were never carried out for financial reasons. During the founding period in 1885, a renovation was carried out by the Hohenzollern state curator and royal government and building adviser Wilhelm Friedrich Laur . He was also the architect responsible for the construction work on what is now the Hechingen Regional Court from 1869 to 1875. Laur's work consisted of adding a second or fifth floor and building a stone facade; this deliberately playful facade in the neo-renaissance style was framed by a roof covering made of slate . The town hall fountain in front of the town hall was removed, but the one behind the town hall including the half-timbered gable was retained. During the Nazi regime , the town hall was "cleaned up" by Paul Schmitthenner : the front facade was removed again along with the turret. Moreover, were the shelter set up by the foundation was badly damaged. However, these construction defects were only discovered in the post-war years. The Hechingen city council decided against a possible renovation , so that in 1955 the building was blown up . Parts of the Am Rain staircase including a fountain were damaged in the process.
Paul Schmitthenner was commissioned with the new building. In 1957 the topping-out ceremony was celebrated and in 1958 the New Town Hall was ceremonially opened. In addition to the architect, the two priests and the Baden-Württemberg Interior Minister Viktor Renner were guests of honor at the ceremony . The destroyed staircase at Am Rain was rebuilt. The New Town Hall is a listed building . In 1998 it was again equipped with a well.
Surroundings
The New Town Hall is located at the north end of the market square and in the middle of the densely built-up old town. The farm pharmacy, the former lower pharmacy, a former monastery and the youth center (former prison and vocational school) are in the immediate vicinity.
literature
- Ludwig Egler: Chronicle of the City of Hechingen , Volume I, self-published, Hechingen 1909/1980
- Interview Paul Schmitthenner (= publications on scientific films , Section History & Journalism, Series 5, No. 9), Göttingen 1981 ( digitized version ).
- Franz-Severin Gäßler: Poetry of Beauty: the town hall in Hechingen - work of the architect Prof. Paul Schmitthenner . In: Journal for Hohenzollern History , Volume 45, 2009, pp. 239–305. *
- Franz-Severin Gäßler: Poetry of Beauty. Paul Schmitthenner 1884-1972. Hechingen town hall, late work, context . At the same time publication of the Baden-Württemberg State Archives, Sigmaringen State Archives for the exhibition of the same name in the Hohenzollern State Museum in Hechingen. Franz S. Gäßler Verlag, Munich 2016, ISBN 978-3-9817915-1-8 .
- Walther Genzmer: The town hall in Hechingen. As an example for the good integration of a new building into an old cityscape . In: Newsletter of the preservation of monuments in Baden-Württemberg Jhg. 2, 1959, issue 2, pp. 57-60 ( digitized version ).
Web links
- New town hall Hechingen. In: arch INFORM .
- Description of the town hall fountain
Individual evidence
- ↑ It can be assumed, however, that a town hall existed before 1461, as Hechingen already had town charter before 1256.
- ↑ cf. City chronicle p. 208, para. 2.
- ↑ Der Baumeister , born 1959, No. 4.
Coordinates: 48 ° 21 '10.6 " N , 8 ° 57' 51.9" E