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Old City Hall
Altes Stadthaus Template:De icon
Old City Hall
General information
Architectural style	Palladian
Location	Molkenmarkt, Berlin
Coordinates	52°30′59″N 13°24′39″E / 52.51639°N 13.41083°E / 52.51639; 13.41083
Construction started	1902
Completed	1911
Cost	7,000,000ℳ
Technical details
Structural system	Mansard
Floor count	4 (main) Tower
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Ludwig Hoffmann
Main contractor	Various

The Old City Hall in Molkenmarkt, Berlin is a former administrative building for the city government of Berlin, and served from 1902 to 1911. It was designed by Ludwig Hoffmann, an architect. It costed 7 million goldmark to build. After World War II the Council of Ministers of the GDR was established, where the function of the city hall and the term "new city hall" had begun to be used. This city hall was between Jüdenstraße and Monastery. In the 1990s renovation of a Red City Hall which had been used before this city hall, where the Senate of Berlin currently is after the renovation. One of the frequently promoted points of the building was the fact that it included five courtyards. The hall is dominated by sculptures, including 19 allegory pieces and 21 original figures of civic virtues, all of which created by Josef Rauch, Ignatius Taschner, George Wrba and William Widemann over the course of the build.

The construction had gone into administration in March 1908, while the tower was starting construction, which took three years to build. The city hall began construction in April 1902 and finished in October 1911; taking nine years. The construction was known as "impressive" to the majority of the population of Berlin at the time. It is within walking distance of the former city hall, which is being currently used as of 2012. The city hall created 1,000 new jobs, more than the old city hall, which created only 317. The city hall is 12,600 square feet (1,170 m) in size compared to the former hall, which was 9,000 square feet (840 m) in size. The panel layout of the hall is based on the shapes of the Palladian architectural system and the entire building is crowned with a mansard roof. Before construction, the city planner at that time commissioned Hoffmann to design an office building to provide the city with 1,000 more jobs and two boardrooms for the administration of Berlin. Hoffmann had many proposals for the building, one which included a tower on the outside and the interior was dominated by a large hall. This proposal was agreed on, which was later built.

History

The Old City Hall in Berlin has a large history, starting in the 1860s.

Second Town Hall

The rapid growth of the population of Berlin since the 1860s of up to 50,000 people a year brought a large administrative burden onto the ministers in Berlin. When Red City Hall was built the city it was built in had 500,000 inhabitants. By the completion of the city hall there were 800,000 inhabitants. It was decided that a second city hall was required, as the Red City Hall could not be extended.

In 1893, the City Council received a proposal for site on the banks of the Spree (river) to become the financial administration and representation of the Social Association of Germany. The proposed area was declined by the City Council, because they feared that the new building's location could be greater than the current City Hall's. The proposal of another city hall was put on hold for "several years". This was proposed many times by Members of Parliament, but declined. In 1898 Ludwig Hoffmann has a proposal which was accepted. The existing building would be demolished.

Through the intervention of this debate and the reputation of Ludwig Hoffmann, it was decided that the architect should design new, prestigious buildings. The former city planner commissioned Hoffmann to design an office building to provide the city with 1,000 more jobs and two boardrooms. Hoffmann had proposals for the new building. In his design, the exterior design of the building looked like a tower, however the interior was dominated by a large hall. The committee members agreed on this, and even the city treasurer has no objections to this.

Specifications

Hoffmann created a monumental building with five courtyards, to "even the offices of the municipal administrations, which have no place in the Town Hall to include, but should also major public hall for celebrations include the lack of the city, and also to the outside through the Berlin of today represent a monumental and magnificent building that is pronounced to be " (Ludwig Hoffmann, 1914).

Inside the city hall there is a three-story, barrel-vaulted hall which is located at the centre of the building. George Wrba designed the Rosso Verona marble floor along with six pieces of ceremonial candelabra that decorate the hall. The hall can fill 1500 people. George Wrba also created a large bronze bear which was moved to the end of the hall.

The layout of the building shows an irregular Keystone using the dimensions of the former city hall. The side wings of the parochial road are stralauer piereced as the triaxial side projects on to the facades of the Jews and the monastery road. The main axis with the entrance hall and the ballroom is located between the five-axis Mittelrisaliten the Jews and the monastery road. Cross-wing divides the complex of the five courtyards in to the hall.

The panel layout is based on the shapes of the Palladian architectural system. The building is crowned by a mansard roof. The front towards Jüdenstraße is 82.63 metres (271.1 ft) long, 126.93 metres (416.4 ft) in the direction of Convent Road, 108.31 metres (355.3 ft) and the Parochial Stralauer road 94.46 metres (309.9 ft).

The city hall is full of sculptures including 19 allegory pieces and 21 original figures of civic virtues, by Josef Rauch, Ignatius Taschner, George Wrba and William Widemann, all sculptors.

Opening after a long wait

The construction took a while, meaning that parts of the administration of the project including civil engineering delegation and the municipal police administration already moved into the site in March 1908, with the sewer and municipal deputation following them a few weeks later. The tower itself was built between 1908 and 1911, taking three years. After more than ten years of planning and construction the city hall was opened by Martin Kirschner on 29 October 1911. The construction took nine years and six months after starting in April 1902 and ending in October 1911.

Hoffmann's construction was known as "impressive" to the population. Also it was within walking distance of the former city hall, of which it contained architecture for. The city hall created 1,000 new jobs, but the old one only created 317. The city hall is 12,600 square feet (1,170 m) in size compared to the former hall, which was 9,000 square feet (840 m) in size.

Planning for the period of National Socialism

Until the 1920s there were no significant changes to the city hall. World War I and the November revolution harmed the city hall. In 1920, Greated Berlin formed under incorporation of many upstream villages. This increased the administrative burden, making some departments outsourced. In 1929 there was a comission for the Berlin Magistrate architectural administration, a concept for a new building. The new administration included the main city library and the city savings bank, along with creating new jobs to civil servants of Berlin.

The construction of the new building was built in a large planned refurbishment program of the Molkenmarkt district. This was flourished until 1931, until the plans were declined due to the dismal political end economic situation, meaning this would be unachievable. In World War II the building took bomb damage, mainly in the C and D wings. The mansard roof was almost completely burned and there was substantial water damage to the building. The statues were destroyed in the war and the entire building was 50% damaged.

References

1. Verlag & Munich 1983, p. 67
2. Hansen 2007, p. 7
3. Hoffmann 1911, p. 71
4. Hansen 2007, p. 13
5. Verlag & Munich 1990, p. 22
6. Hansen 2007, p. 4
7. Hoffmann 1911, p. 13
8. Hoffmann 1911, p. 14
9. Schäche 2000, p. 11
10. Verlag & Munich 1983, p. 43
11. Hoffmann 1911, p. 24
12. ^ Fuchs & Aulich 2002, p. 1
13. Fuchs & Aulich 2002, p. 2
14. Hoffmann 1914, p. 1
15. Verlag & Munich 1954, p. 3 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFVerlagMunich1954 (help)
16. Verlag & Munich 1954, p. 4 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFVerlagMunich1954 (help)
17. Verlag & Munich 1954, p. 6 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFVerlagMunich1954 (help)
18. Hoffmann 1914, p. 4
19. ^ Hoffmann 1914, p. 3
20. Eckert 2004
21. Eckert 2004, pp. 2–3
22. ^ Verlag & Munich 1954, p. 7 harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFVerlagMunich1954 (help)
23. Fuchs & Aulich 2002, p. 1—2
24. Hansen 2007, pp. 4
25. Hansen 2007, pp. 5

Bibliography

• Hansen, Antje (2007). The old town house in Berlin. Munich: German Architecture Publishers. ISBN 9783422020290. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Hoffmann, Ludwig (1911). "New City House, Berlin". New buildings in the city of Berlin. Berlin: Archive of the Museum of Architecture at the Technical University of Berlin. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Verlag, Henschel; Munich, Beck (1954). The art and architectural monuments of the East German capital of Berlin. Vol. II. Berlin: Henry Trost (ed.), Institute for Conservation (eds). Archive of the Museum of Architecture at the Technical University of Berlin. ISBN 3-362-00497-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Verlag, Henschel; Munich, Beck (1954). The art and architectural monuments of the East German capital of Berlin. Vol. I. Berlin: Henry Trost (ed.), Institute for Conservation (eds). Archive of the Museum of Architecture at the Technical University of Berlin. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Verlag, Henschel; Munich, Beck (1983). The art and architectural monuments of the East German capital of Berlin. Vol. I. Berlin: Henry Trost (ed.), Institute for Conservation (eds). Archive of the Museum of Architecture at the Technical University of Berlin. ISBN 3-362-00497-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Schäche, Wolfgang (2000). The town house. History, inventory and change of a monument. Berlin: Jovis Verlag. ISBN 3-931321-36-3. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Verlag, Henschel; Munich, Beck (1984). The art and architectural monuments of the East German capital of Berlin. Vol. I. Berlin: Henry Trost (ed.), Institute for Conservation (eds). Archive of the Museum of Architecture at the Technical University of Berlin. ISBN 3-362-00497-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Verlag, Henschel; Munich, Beck (1990). The art and architectural monuments of the East German capital of Berlin. Vol. I. Berlin: Henry Trost (ed.), Institute for Conservation (eds). Archive of the Museum of Architecture at the Technical University of Berlin. ISBN 3-362-00497-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Fuchs, Claudia; Aulich, Uwe (2002). "The Old Town house is returned to the historical figures: new tower with Lady Luck". Berlin: Archiv, Berliner Zeritung. ISSN 0947-174X. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Hoffmann, Ludwig (1914). City Hall. Berlin: Public Domain Archive at Berliner Zeritung. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Aulich, Uwe (2002). "tower with a new goddess of fortune". Berlin: Berliner Zeitung, Berliner Verlag. ISSN 0947-174X. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Caspar, Helmut (1995). "New tasks for the Old City Hall.". Berlin: Berliner Zeitung, Berliner Verlag. ISSN 0947-174X. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Morgenpost, Berliner (2005). "The Giants return to the Old City Hall.". Berlin: Berliner Zeitung, Berliner Verlag. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Rainer, L. Hein (2005). "Fortuna returns". Berlin: Berliner Zeitung, Berliner Verlag. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Schubert, Peter (2002). "Fortune will bring good luck to the city hall". Springer, Berlin: Berliner Morgenpost. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Eckert, Hajo (2004). "Redevelopment of the town house is delayed by months". Springer, Berlin: Berliner Morgenpost. {{cite news}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Old City Hall in the lexicon district of Luis. In German.
• Fortune at the Dome, in Berlinische monthly, 5/2000. In German.
• Old City Hall, the interior minister. In German.
• Enumeration of wisdom from the Bärensaal. In German.
• Picture of Fortuna figure in the town house. In German.
• Picture of Fortuna figure in the workshop. In German.
• Festschrift sense of the Senate Administration for the reopening of the Bear Hall in June 1999, with historic pictures and floor plans (PDF, 800 KB). In German.

52°30′59″N 13°24′39″E / 52.51639°N 13.41083°E / 52.51639; 13.41083{{#coordinates:}}: cannot have more than one primary tag per page