Schwörhaus (Ulm)
The Oath in Ulm is erected at the beginning of the 17th century rich urban representative building. After repeated destruction and reconstruction, it is considered today house the city's history Ulm from the city archives Ulm used. From his balcony on Oath Monday, the Lord Mayor of Ulm gives an annual public account.
History up to the 18th century
Today's Schwörhaus on the Ulmer Weinhof is located where the chapel of the royal palace , first mentioned in 854, was. From 1345 at the latest, the Schwörakt was held here as a symbol of urban sovereignty , initially from a small so-called “Schwörhäusle” that was attached to a high defense tower (“Luginsland”).
In 1612 the old group of buildings was demolished and the current Schwörhaus was built in its place by 1618 as a three-storey building in the Renaissance style, with an open arbor and a balcony for the annual Schwörakt (oath of homage to the citizens and the mayor's oath of office) on the 1st floor. In addition to its representative function, its upper floors served as granaries, the vaults on the ground floor initially as an arsenal and later as a wine store . The building also housed the city library ; in the 18th century a library hall was built into the upper floors.
On October 15, 1785, the building as well as part of the library there was destroyed in a fire. During the reconstruction in 1789/90, the renaissance gable was replaced by a baroque volute gable and the roof turret, which was formerly positioned across the corner, was replaced by a central octagonal roof turret with an onion dome .
History from the 19th century
In 1802 Ulm lost its status as a free imperial city , in 1805 the now Bavarian rule caused the balcony to be demolished as an imperial city symbol that had become unnecessary. After Ulm passed to the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1810, the Schwörhaus fulfilled various official tasks, so from 1822 to 1897 it was the seat of the royal court for the Danube district. In 1898 the city bought back the Schwörhaus so that the Ulm City Council was able to move there during the renovation of the town hall .
In 1908, the building was extended to the west in order to accommodate the city archive as well as the city library. As early as 1906, it also housed a women's labor school and rooms for exhibitions. In 1910 the city had the balcony renewed, and in 1915 the Schwörhaus received historicizing wall paintings. During the heavy air raid on December 17, 1944 , the Schwörhaus burned down, and a year later the east gable, which had initially remained standing, collapsed.
In 1954, the Oath House, rebuilt with a baroque gable but without painting, was inaugurated again as part of an Oath Monday celebration . Since then, the Lord Mayor of Ulm has been giving an annual public account from his balcony. The building's users were again the city library and city archive. After the library moved to a separate new building in 2004, the interior of the Schwörhaus was converted into the “House of City History Ulm” with a permanent exhibition room on the ground floor. On its west wall, part of the wall of the palace chapel from the Hohenstaufen era has been exposed.
Front view
Model around 1900, from the southeast.
Model around 1900, from the northeast.
literature
- Hans Koepf : Ulmer profane buildings. W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1982, ISBN 3-17-007078-9 , p. 166/67 (research on the history of the city of Ulm (publisher Stadtarchiv Ulm), volume 4).
- Hellmut Pflüger: Ulm. The old cityscape. Weißenhorn, Anton H. Konrad Verl., 4th edition, 1973, ISBN 3-87-437-098-4 , p. 16
Web links
- The oath house; Flyer, Ed .: City of Ulm, Central Office, Public Relations and Representation 2007, Text: Henning Petershagen (PDF; 378 kB)
Coordinates: 48 ° 23 ′ 46.4 " N , 9 ° 59 ′ 25.6" E