Aarau town hall
The town hall of Aarau in Switzerland emerged from a medieval castle , the Rore tower . After the city bought the castle in 1515, they converted the Roreturm into the town hall by adding parts of the building. Between 1952 and 1954 an extension was built to the west of the old town hall.
History of the Roreturm
The origin of the Roreturm is unclear. However, it will have been built when the city was founded, or must have already existed at the time, as this is a fixed point in city development. The castle was first mentioned in the town in 1337, in which the Austrian fiefdom was confirmed to Heinrich von Rôr. The name Roreturm is derived from the owner of Rôr . It should be noted that the Schlössli , or the castle in front of the city , is older than the city.
After the city was founded, the Roreturm was not part of it, because the tower and its residents were exempt from city taxes. This gave rise to complaints several times. The tower Rore was also considered a Freihof , from which normal criminals (violations of the lower jurisdiction ) were not allowed to be pulled out, only common criminals (violation of the higher jurisdiction ) could not evade their punishment in this way. In 1515 the city acquired the tower. At the request of the city, which now belonged to the Bernese Aargau , Bern revoked the Freihofrecht in 1517. The castle was then converted into the town hall.
History of the old town hall
The conversion of the Roreturm to the town hall was completed around 1519/20. To do this, the curtain wall of the castle was torn down and the moat towards the city was filled. The hall was also torn down and an extension to the tower was built in its place, which included the town hall rooms and the stairwell. This construction phase can still be recognized today by the gable facing the street.
Between 1803 and 1819 the town hall was used for other purposes, as it housed the government of the canton of Aargau at that time . During this time, the city authorities resided in the house at Pelzgasse 19 (today's guild room ). Today's old town hall was largely given its appearance during the renovation in 1856/57. The two four-storey extensions with four window axes were built on the eaves.
After the extension of the new building, the old town hall underwent a thorough renovation, including a redesign of the interior. During the renovation, construction had to be stopped on November 19, 1954, as the building was in an unpleasant poor condition. The planned work had to be rescheduled from the ground up, as backup work was necessary first. The experts came to the conclusion that the central facade had to be demolished and rebuilt in order to guarantee stability. Construction work resumed on September 5, 1955. The renovation and remodeling were completed on September 6, 1957.
The building of the old town hall with the Roreturm
The old town hall developed from and around the Roreturm. A three-story extension with a sloping roof was added to this southwest. A four-story extension with the two council chambers was built to the northeast. Its gable front with a clock still forms the face of the old town hall today. The large paneled council hall is on the first floor, the small council hall and the Schiltlisaal on the second floor. The construction date is not recorded in writing, but there are two dates inside, which allow the construction to be dated very precisely. The year 1519 can be found in the writing on the wall panel in the large hall, and in the city coat of arms in the upper small room the year 1520. Therefore, at least the eastern extension to the Roreturm (now the central part) is dated to 1519/20.
In 1657 the town hall was renovated for the first time when a new extension was to be built on the southwest corner. Foreman Renold's first attempt was so bad that it had to be stopped immediately. The second new building was probably built by Richner, who had been commissioned to demolish the first attempt. The original sundial was replaced by a wheel clock in 1696/97. The main wing of the town hall with the two council rooms was also renovated.
In 1762 the gothic pinnacle gable facing the alley was changed, which had to give way to a baroque stepped gable decorated with volutes. This has a bell house with a knob and a weather vane. The stacking windows in the council chamber and in the Schiltlisaal also disappeared.
To the east of the town hall there were two town houses, where the eastern wing was built in 1856/57. The western wing already existed before, but as a two-story extension with a courtyard in front of the Roreturm. The western extension was also built in its current appearance in 1856/57.
New building from 1957
For the new building, the three houses between the old town hall and Zollrain were demolished between September and November 1952. Part of the area was used to widen the Zollrain. The new building was built by the Adolf Schäfer company; the construction management was carried out by architect Hektor Anliker, who died on April 1, 1954 shortly before completion. The new building was completed ten days later and people moved into on April 20, 1954.
The old town hall is owned by the local community , the new building is owned by the local community .
literature
- Paul Erismann; The town hall of Aarau, in the present and the past , Aarau 1958, brochure without ISBN
- Michael Stettler: The art monuments of the canton of Aargau . Ed .: Society for Swiss Art History . Volume I, districts of Aarau, Kulm, Zofingen. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel 1948, p. 56-67 .
- INSA inventory of modern Swiss architecture 1850-1921, Volume 1 , Aarau, Altendorf, Appenzell, Baden, Orell Füssli 1984, ISBN 3-280-01509-X
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 23 '36.1 " N , 8 ° 2' 35" E ; CH1903: six hundred and forty-five thousand six hundred thirty-three / 249345