Town Hall (Zurich)
The Zurich City Hall was the seat of government and administration of the City of Zurich until 1798 . It was built free-standing between 1694 and 1698 in a prestigious location in the Limmat in the middle of Zurich's old town . The classic forms of the exterior are taken from the Architectura recreationis (Augsburg 1640) of the Italian expert Joseph Furttenbach , the interior designed in the style of the high baroque .
The town hall has been owned by the Canton of Zurich since 1803 and serves as the seat of the Cantonal Council . Also, the council of the city of Zurich will meet at City Hall. Furthermore, the Church Synod and the Council of Churches of the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich and the Synod of the Roman Catholic Body of the Canton of Zurich use the town hall as a conference venue.
With the construction of the Rathausquais in 1835, the river bank was brought closer to the Rathaus.
history
The first "Richthus" stood in the same place as early as 1252, which in 1397 had to give way to a larger and probably more representative town hall for the circumstances at the time. It was built on an already existing vault over the Limmat. A large part of the work was done as compulsory labor and all buses in the city had to be processed on the construction site. A hundred years after completion, the windows that had previously been draped with cloths were glazed. With this building, the city of Zurich set a clearly visible sign of its greater autonomy and increased importance since joining the Confederation in 1351.
On November 30, 1693, the Small Council of the City of Zurich decided to build a new building, which was confirmed by the Council of 200 on December 7. The new building should be handsome, but not magnificent, but still good for Zurich's reputation. When planning the new building, there was a compromise between Zwinglian modesty, the need for representation and thrift. The new building was related to the renewed importance of the city. Since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Zurich had full sovereignty from the Holy Roman Empire and, as an independent city republic, had a greater need for representation. Because the very expensive third city fortifications were still being built practically at the same time , money was tight. The selection was made from a catalog by an Augsburg architect. The foundation stone was laid on October 12, 1694; The master builder was the city master builder Hans Heinrich Holzhalb. Since no significant master builder was called in, the shape of the building is not a “big hit”, but a simple three-storey rectangular building made of molasse sandstone from Bäch with a porticoed roof. Among other things, the two council rooms and the "computing room" built in 1533 were taken over.
All the more effort was put into decorating the building inside as well as on the outside facade. The sculptors Giovanni Maria Ceruto from Lugano and Johann Jakob Keller were hired to decorate the sandstone-clad facade. On June 22, 1698 the new building was finished; on June 15, 1698 it was inaugurated with a large fireworks display. The "Haus zum Schneggen" had to give way for the construction, which from 1400 to 1694 was added "at right angles" to the former town hall.
After the fall of the City of Zurich in 1798, the town hall became state property of the Helvetic Republic and from there in 1803 to the newly established Canton of Zurich. Since then it has served the canton as the seat of government and the cantonal council. For this purpose, the interior of the town hall was adapted to the needs, so in 1833 a grandstand had to be built into the council chamber in order to guarantee the publicity of the meetings of the cantonal council as required by the new constitution.
Repeated attempts by the cantonal authorities to build a representative new building for the cantonal government, parliament and administration failed, so that the old town hall has remained the seat of the cantonal council to this day. The municipal parliament of the city of Zurich enjoys the right to be a guest in the cantonal council chamber. The city of Zurich's government has its seat today in the town hall near Fraumünster .
facade
The facade is still largely committed to the late Renaissance . Pilasters of the “three orders” - Doric , Ionic and Corinthian - as well as cornices structure the three floors evenly.
On the east side, the baroque portal on the east side made of black marble from Richterswil is striking . It is from the Latin inscription «DEO ET PATRIAE / SAC. HAEC CURIA / JUSSU ET AUSSPICIIS SPQT / E FUNDAM, EXTR. ET COND. EST / ANNO CHR. MDCXCIV ET SEQQ »crowned. On both sides of the inscription are the heraldic animals of Zurich on the pillars , two gold-plated lions as shield holders. One of the two lions carries a sword, the other a palm branch (originally a scepter ). On the ground floor, 23 windows are additionally decorated with a bust of a hero from Greek, Roman and Swiss history, each of which has a Latin inscription.
Originally, the baroque volutes typical of the time were accompanied and crowned with acanthus. There was a clock above the skylight above the portal. At the corners of the gutters, dragons, which were typical of Zurich at the time, were used as gargoyles. These decorations were all removed in the 18th century under the influence of classicism .
The town hall is built free-standing over the Limmat. This is clearly visible from the south side, where the two barrel vaults through which the Limmat flows can be seen. There is also an entrance in the vaults so that you can get directly from the ship to the town hall.
Lately there has been a lot to talk about that the listed building does not have an emergency exit and the portal on the ground floor is the only exit or entrance. This is also not handicapped accessible. In the event of a fire, however, the grids on the ground floor can be opened from the inside so that the parliamentarians can either escape directly to the Limmat or to the vegetable bridge.
Inscriptions and busts on the windows on the ground floor
| Bust with name and year | Latin inscription | German translation |
|---|---|---|
| South side | ||
| MILTIADES . AM 3459. | VIRTVTI MIRA TROPAEA. | Virtue wins admirable victories. |
| THEMISTOCLES . AM 3480. | NON MIHI SED PATRIAE. | For the fatherland, not for me. |
| EPAMINONDAS . AM 3587. | HEROUM VICTORIA PROLES. | Heroes can win. |
| East Side | ||
| L.IUN.BRUTUS . AM 3442. | LIBERTAS SANGUINE PRAESTAT. | Freedom is more important than ties of blood. |
| HORATIVS COCLES . AM 3444. | VBI GENS MEA MENS MEA. | Where my people are, there is my heart. |
| C. COURAGE. SCAEVOLA . AM 3444. | ET FLAMMAS PATRIA SPERNIT. | Patriotic love disregards even the torment of fire. |
| HRUDOLF BRV. I. BVRGM. ZURICH (Rudolf Brun) . 1350. | LEGIBUS AC ARMIS. | With laws and gun violence. |
| HRVDOLF STVSI BVRGM. ZVRICH (Rudolf Stüssi) , 1443. | NE PEREANT PEREO. | I die so that the others may live. |
| ADRIAN V. BUBENB [erg] V. BERNA. 1476. | PATRUM VIRTUS PROLUCET IN ARMIS | The virtue of the fathers shines in theirs
Deeds of arms. |
| PET [er] M [ann] V. GVNTELI SCHVLTH. V. LUCERN. (Petermann von Gundoldingen) 1386. | AVT MORS AVT VITA DECORA. | Either a life of honor or death. |
| WALTER FVRST VON VRI (Walter Fürst) . 1307. | PRUDENTIA PRAEVENIT ICTVS. | Wisdom precedes blows. |
| North side | ||
| WILHELM TELL BY VRI. 1307. | TENSUS RUMPITUR ARCUS. | The bow breaks under constant tension. |
| WHO [ner] STAUFACHER FROM SCHWYZ . 1307. | LIBERTATIS AMOR STABILI NOS FOEDERE IUNXIT. | The love of freedom has united us in a firm alliance. |
| AR [nold] VON DER HALD [en] VON VNDERWALDEN (Arnold von Melchtal) 1307. | LAESA FURIT PATIENTIA. | Injured tolerance turns into a frenzy. |
| West side | ||
| ARN [old] WINKELRIET v. VNDERWALD [en]. 1386. | PRO SOCIIS PULCHERRIMA MORS EST. | To die for your allies is the most beautiful death. |
| AMAN SCHWARZMAVRER V. TRAIN. 1512. | CONCORDIA CORDIS ET ORIS. | Match of heart and mouth. |
| HANS WALL V. GLARUS . 1499. | MULTIS PRAESTANTIOR UNUS. | One can do more than many. |
| MARCUS CVRCIUS . R [omanus] AM 3591. | PRO MULTIS PULCHRE PERIT UNUS. | For many, one goes down wonderfully. |
| MARCUS CVRIUS . AM 3660. | PATRIAE RAPAE GAZA POTIORES. | The beets from home are more delicious than treasure. |
| ATTILIUS REGULUS. AA 3701 . | NIL CURAT CRUCIATUS PUBLICA CURA. | Nothing cares for those who care about the common good. |
| SCIPIO AFRICANUS . AM 3747. | NOBILITY SERVASSE PENATES | Rescue of the homeland ennobles. |
| SCIPIO NASICA . AM 3746. | IN PATRIAM PIETAS COELESTIBUS AEQUAT | Love and reverence for the fatherland equates the heavenly. |
| F. CAMILLUS (Marcus Furius Camillus) . AM 3563. | AFFECTUS PATRIA VINCIT | Solidarity with the fatherland overcomes other feelings. |
More detailed pictures
The portal on the east side
Inscription and lion of the portal (with traces of a color stroke)
Portal and roof painting
Window on the ground floor with a bust of Adrian I von Bubenberg (see above)
View from the Karlsturm of the Grossmünster , on the left the Rathausbrücke, in the background on the left the Schipfe and on the right the Limmatquai
South side, in the background the Rathausbrücke, Schipfe and Lindenhof
literature
- Christian Renfer: Swiss Art Guide GSK, Volume 637/638: The City Hall in Zurich. Bern 1998, ISBN 3-85782-637-1 .
- Konrad Escher : The art monuments of the canton of Zurich. Vol. IV: The City of Zurich, Part One. Birkhäuser, Basel 1939, pp. 319–360.
- Christine Barraud Wiener, Peter Jezler: The art monuments of the canton of Zurich. New edition. Vol. I: The city of Zurich I. City in front of the wall, medieval fortifications and the Limmat area. Edited by the Society for Swiss Art History GSK. Wiese, Basel 1999, ISBN 3-909164-70-6 , pp. 282–352.
- Lea Carl: Zurich. Architecture guide. Zurich 1972, pp. 71-75.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Lea Carl: Zurich. Architecture guide. Zurich 1972, pp. 71-75.
- ↑ Rathausquai on alt-zueri.ch
- ^ Fred Rihner: Illustrated history of the Zurich old town ; Bosch Verlag, Zurich 1975
- ^ Christine Barraud Wiener, Peter Jezler: Die Stadt Zürich I In: Die Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Zürich , Volume I, Wiese Verlag, Basel, p. 299.
Coordinates: 47 ° 22 ′ 17 " N , 8 ° 32 ′ 33" E ; CH1903: 683,373 / two hundred and forty-seven thousand three hundred fourteen