Town Hall (Schaffhausen)

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View from the traffic-free Vordergasse to the north facade of the town hall, the third arch from the left is the town hall arch.
South facade with entrance to the council chamber and town hall arbor, the arched building is visible on the left.

The town hall of Schaffhausen from 1412 is the historic town hall of the city ​​of Schaffhausen and is still the political center of the city and canton of Schaffhausen today .

Building description

The town hall is located in the Schaffhausen pedestrian zone on the corner of Vordergasse-Rathausbogen and is divided into three parts. The ground floor facing Vordergasse is now used as a shop. Originally the high room with four mighty Gothic oak columns served as a grain hall. The council chamber and the town hall arbor, a venerable hall, are entered via the alley called Rathausbogen. This connects the Vordergasse with the Herrenacker, the largest square in the city. The eponymous town hall arch, the third part of the building, spans the street. At the time of the city-state of Schaffhausen, the council met in the small late Gothic council chamber with a flat vaulted ceiling, which is located directly above the arch.

Todays use

The Schaffhausen Cantonal Council and the City Council of Schaffhausen meet regularly in the council chamber . In addition, some of the public hearings of the cantonal and higher courts take place in the council chamber. The large town hall arbor has been used for political, festive and cultural events since 1412. Cultural events are still held several times a year in the Rathaus arbor. The Schaffhausen lecture group organizes regular lectures by well-known personalities from home and abroad. According to the cantonal regulations of 2003, the town hall arbor and the cantonal council hall are released for use if the event is in the public interest, serves ideal purposes, promotes the community, increases the welfare of the people or contributes to cultural development.

Building history

The town hall arbor and the cantonal council hall are properties owned by the canton of Schaffhausen. According to the public land register, the building above the arched passage is owned by the City of Schaffhausen. The first indications of the start of construction come from 1382. In 1412 the building was completed. Since then it has been used as the town hall without interruption. The medieval town hall arbor was expanded in 1586 with a magnificent Renaissance coffered ceiling . The warm wooden paneling on the walls is adorned with twelve portraits in oil from the 17th and 18th centuries as well as three large historical pictures by Johann Martin Veith . The splendid Renaissance wooden portal from 1624, which marks the entrance to the council chamber, is an impressive eye-catcher. The council chamber is decorated with ornate paneling. In the Grand Council Chamber you can find Bible quotations and allegories from the years 1624 to 1625 painted by Hans Caspar Lang the Elder .

A Gothic half-length figure of the Schaffhausen heraldic animal sits enthroned on a console with a devil's mark on the north facade, which is made of sandstone in the lower part. It is a copy, the original from 1515 by Augustin Henel is exhibited in the Museum zu Allerheiligen .

In the 19th century the council chamber was adapted to the needs of a modern state. A grandstand was installed in the council chamber. The vaulted Renaissance wooden ceiling was replaced by a fashionable plaster ceiling, in keeping with the spirit of the times. At the end of the 19th century, the renovation was partially reversed by the then cantonal master builder Johann Christoph Bahnmaier (1834–1918). He restored the council chamber in the style of the late Renaissance. In the early 1940s, a shop was built on the ground floor. The large wooden gates flush with the facade were removed. A short arcade was created through the rear-facing shop window front. At the beginning of the 21st century, the council chamber was carefully adapted to the technical requirements of a modern council operation.

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Coordinates: 47 ° 41 ′ 46.5 "  N , 8 ° 38 ′ 4"  E ; CH1903:  six hundred eighty-nine thousand seven hundred sixty-seven  /  283,532