Town Hall Tower (Znojmo)
The town hall tower of Znojmo in the Czech Republic is the city's landmark that can be seen from afar.
history
When the old town hall of Znojmo an der Thaya , built in 1260, fell victim to a fire in 1444 , the then town hall tower also collapsed. When the town hall was then rebuilt at the front of the main square, the new town hall tower was built as an independent structure in the late Gothic style between 1445 and 1448. The master builder was the master stonemason Niklas from Edelspitz .
Two inscriptions carved in stone provide information about the construction time.
"In the year of the Lord 1445 on the Monday after Magdalena this work of the master Niklaus, stonemason in Edelspitz was started." The Monday after Magdalena is July 19th, the second inscription announces the year of completion, 1448.
The tower stands on a rock, the foundation extends up to three meters in depth. The masonry reaches a height of 68.8 meters. With the wooden spire with the four smaller turrets at the corners, it reaches a total height of 79.88 meters and was originally slated.
The slate roof had to be repaired several times until it was replaced by a copper roof in 1592. On this occasion, the masonry was also given a new plaster and a white paint. In the course of this work, the tour was also set up.
The painting work on the city arms held by lions on the four sides of the tower and the clock face of the tower clock - when this was installed is not known - was the task of the painter Jan Jakob.
During a recent renovation, the tower clock was repaired and the plaster was replaced. According to archives, ten buckets of wine and five buckets of beer were added to the plaster.
In 1833 the copper roof had to be renewed. This work was awarded to the master roofer Thomas Janouschek from Iglau , who carried out this work without scaffolding. According to reports, he himself - again without a safety device - put the 27 kilogram weather vane in its holder, after waving it in all four directions of the wind.
The wooden walk around the tower at a lofty height was replaced by one made of cast iron in 1854. The work was carried out by the carpenter Wallenda from Retz , the cast iron parts came from the ironworks in Blansko .
The old tower clock - its age is unknown - was replaced by a new one in 1898. The order went to the Schauer company in Vienna . After 25 years of service without any major problems, the movement was completely overhauled.
In 1959, the movement from Vienna was replaced by one from a tower clock factory in Vyškov , which is still in operation today.
A tower keeper was on duty until 1924 . He used to look out for enemies, later only for fires. A telephone was even installed in the 19th century to make the alarm easier.
On April 20, 1945 the old town hall was destroyed and the tour on the south side was damaged. The tower was completely renovated in the early 1950s. The previously free tour was given wooden cladding and the dome was renovated. A department store was built in place of the town hall.
Web links
literature
- Anton Huebner, Viktor Huebner, Michael Netoliczka: Memories of the royal. City of Znojmo. According to the manuscripts left behind by the kk pen. District captain Mr. Anton Huebner, edited by Viktor Huebner and Michael Netoliczka. VIII. Delivery
Coordinates: 48 ° 51 ′ 20 ″ N , 16 ° 2 ′ 55 ″ E