The historical city hall of the city Bocholt is one of the most important historical buildings of the city. Since the city administration moved 1977 into the "“new city hall"”, it has mainly representative function. In the advice hall in the second stick annually the New Year receipt of the mayor takes place apart from cultural events of all kinds. Also for weddings the building is used: the register office of Bocholt lies in the first floor. Cellars and parts of the ground floor are used by a catering trade enterprise.

Situation and environment

The historical city hall lies in the center of the city Bocholt, where the shopping streets of the pedestrian precinct gather. The rectangular market place is controlled by the city hall. Not the Giebelseite stands as e.g. in transverse to the market place, so that the Traufseite works as looking front. Together with the pc. George church, which lies seen from the market place behind the city hall, forms it the center of the city.

Architecture

The city hall is not delighted in the style of the Netherlands brick Renaissance, it gives "“border smearing neither after the gothical nor after the baroque side"” (Dehio, 1949).

Description

In the ground floor originally different functions were accommodated. By the summerhouse course one entered the court room (completely left), the area with the city balance, meat-resounds or the guard, which had own in each case entrances. The entrance to the stairs, those into the upper floor led lay completely right. In the first stick were the advice rooms. Over it the large advice hall lay. To in 18. Century had the city hall in the roof center a structure of fire-place, the so-called stork tower.

Looking front at the market place

The front is arranged symmetrical and vertically in eight axles, horizontal arranged into three upward lower becoming projectiles. The arrangement becomes by the change of the Baumateralien (red brick for the wall surfaces, Baumberger sandstone for Zierelemente) and by the use of Zierelementen reached such as Pilaster and Fensterlaibungen.

The ground floor is to the market place into a achtjochige elbow-resounds dissolved. The rests on columns, which have laterally and backwards Wandpilaster with fitting work, while the front with ionischen columns is verziert. In the range of the upper floors the front is arranged by half columns and Pilaster. The Traufe is covered by a high balustrade, which rests on small consoles with animal and Menschenfratzen. The center is accented by a three speed Zwerchgiebel, that the holy pc. George, the city patron shows.

A characteristic - and the only element, which breaks out of the symmetry of the front - is an Zier oriel in the upper floor. It shows the coat of arms of the city Bocholt - a beech between two knights as sign carrier. Over the beech tree the bar of the pin coat of arms is put as reference to the sovereignty of the prince bishops from (Westphalia). The representations of the windows of the oriel present the four main virtues of the city: Intelligence, justice, moderateness and bravery. With the new city hall of the city one finds the same motive again interpreted.

Developing history

The architect of the city hall is unknown. The first plans for the building of the city hall developed 1606. In the year of the Grundsteinlegung 1618 fallow the war out, the continuation of the building remained however unaffected of it. 1619 were completed the carcass, 1622 could also the interior fittings be locked. 1624 was used windows of the "“Glasemaker"” January van Lintelo, a Glasmacher from Bocholt, whose designs count today as important documents of the mannersism.

History of the building

In the year 1786 restoration work became due. Starting from 1827 the building was used as law courts and converted accordingly. Consciousness for the meaning of the building as indications of urban sovereignty and pride of the middle class was lost. The consequence was an increasing purge of the building, those interior arrangement was lost to a large extent. 1911 took the district court off. Over the building too received was necessary an extensive restoration of the building, with which for financial reasons and because of the First World War all thing only 1928 was begun. 1934 was terminated the work.

To 22. March 1945 was damaged the city hall with a large air raid substantially and burned down up to the outside walls. After the war the building was reconstructed as original faithful as possible. The work took seven years, from 1948 to 1955. In the year 1982 reconstructed Lucy Vollbrecht the cabinet disks of the oriel after the master artworks of January von Lintelo.

Literature

• Ludwig Burwitz: Historical city hall: (1618-1624). in: Our Bocholt No. 48 (1997) 2, P. 67-68: Ill.

Related links

• Our Bocholt - magazine of the association for local history

Articles in category "Historical city hall Bocholt"

We found here 3 articles.