357:, Aachen City Hall was heavily damaged by bombing raids, especially those occurring on 14 July 1943 and 11 April 1944. On 14 July 1943, the roof of the building and both towers burned, and afterwards the structure retained a distinctive shape due to the heat that twisted the steel skeletons inside the tower caps. The Coronation Hall was also heavily damaged and the north facing wall was moved in places up to 30 centimeters vertically. The imminent threat of collapse was staved off through the use of emergency beams that held the structure in place. Because of rain penetrating the interior of the building as well its
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makeshift sheets of zinc. After structural analysis was conducted and the foreground reinforced, the replacement of the north façade took place (since almost all of the arches there were broken). The arches on the ground floor were again closed for repairs in 1950, and the reconstruction of the
Emperor Hall was largely completed by 1953, with the configuration of the room following in the next few years.
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441:, a tour program by which historical sights of Aachen are presented to visitors. At the city hall, a museum exhibition explains the history and art of the building and gives a sense of the historical coronation banquets that took place in the past. Among the replicas, the tourists can also discover the portrait of
299:), flames first spread when cinder from the roof landed on the Granus Tower and set it ablaze. Within four hours the roof and both towers of the City Hall were aflame, as were a large number of surrounding houses on the south side of the Market. Within City Hall, the Coronation Hall with its frescoes by
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Besides serving administrative purposes over the centuries, today’s Aachen City Hall also houses two museums. The first is the
International Newspaper Museum which boasts a collection of over 200,000 newspapers from around the world in various languages. The second museum is dedicated to Charlemagne
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In 1945, the architect Otto Gruber and the engineer
Richard Stumpf prepared a report on the structural integrity of the building. With the help of Professor Josef Pirlet, the dilapidated north façade was reinforced with steel and tension bars, and in 1946, the building’s roof was repaired by using
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from that era were incorporated into the south side of the building. The structure was completed in 1349, and while the town hall served as the administrative center of the city, part of the city’s munitions and weaponry was housed in the Granus Tower, which also served as a prison for some time.
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On 1 November 1884, the city of Aachen started a contest among German architects for the purpose of rebuilding the City Hall. Out the 13 submitted draft designs, the first prize went to Aachen architect Georg
Frentzen, who in 1891 was commissioned to rebuild the building and its towers. The
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baroque master
Jacques de Reux, while the wall painting comes from master painter Johann Chrysant Bollenrath. This hall was originally for a panel of jurists who controlled the quality of cloth produced in Aachen, but the space would later serve as the main office for the mayor of Aachen.
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also took part in the debate, submitting 24 designs for consideration. In 1968 eight additional expert designs were submitted to a working group whose mission was to rebuild the towers and, after discussing several modern samples, the group agreed on a design proposed by the
315:(Aachen's mayor from 1372 to 1385) were reinstalled in the bay windows on the back side of City Hall while the eight shields depicting the coat of arms of medieval nobility (Margarten, Berensberg, Roide, Hasselholz, Surse, Wilde, Joh Chorus, and Zevel) were remade in the
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The question of how the tower caps should be rebuilt remained at the heart of a controversial discussion. In 1966 Professor
Wilhelm K. Fischer, who greatly contributed to the reconstruction of Aachen, wrote a draft for the towers’ design. The students from
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occupation of the area, the structural condition of the City Hall was neglected and the building was seen to be falling apart by 1840. Under the guidance and patronage of the 19th century Chief
Architect Friedrich Joseph Ark, the building was rebuilt in a
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had the task to embellish the room with a large series of frescoes. Begun in 1847 and completed by his student in 1861, the frescoes eventually depicted legends from the life of
Charlemagne. After the destruction of similar artwork at the
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Aachen Town Hall was built in the first half of the 14th century under the leadership of the mayor
Gerhard Chorus (1285 – 1367). The new hall also hosted the traditional coronation feast that was part of the coronation ceremony of the
164:, the relief was partially destroyed, and the remaining pieces were left as they were above the entrance to the main guard station. The medieval artwork was then replaced by Gottfried Götting with a replica in 1879. Before
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in 1748, the "Peace Hall" was set up but was not used because of a dispute between the envoys. As a compensation, the city obtained portraits of the envoys, which are present in the various spaces of the City Hall.
100:. Before that, the coronation was held at the nearby mid-13th century Grashaus which is one of the city’s oldest still-standing buildings nowadays. Construction began in 1330 on top of the foundation walls of the
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style preserving its original Gothic elements. The side of the City Hall that faced the Market was adorned with statues of 50 kings, as well as symbols of art, science, and
Christianity.
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adorning the windows were removed, and even the interior was remodeled in the baroque style. Today, the sitting room and the "White Hall" both still convey this change in style.
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303:, as well as the building's first floor, was spared. In the time immediately following the fire, its roof and towers were kept erect through makeshift structures of support.
319:. The work was accomplished by Karl Krauß. The restoration took 18 years to complete (finished in 1902) after the unveiling of the Rathaus took place with the presence of
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in: Zeitschrift des Aachener Geschichtsvereins. Bd.90/91, 1983/84, Hrsg. Herbert Lepper. Verlag des Aachener Geschichtsvereins, Aachen 1984, S.69-97.
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Since 1380, the entrance of "Emperor's stairs" (Kaisertreppe), which connected the subterranean levels to the Coronation Hall, was adorned by the
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Das Rathaus zu Aachen und sein Brand am Petri- und Pauli-Tage 1883: mit 5 Abb / von Johannes Chorus Aachen: Peter Kaatzer, 1883
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restoration of the inner rooms was performed under the leadership of Joseph Laurent. In 1895, the sculptures depicting the
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period, the City Hall was stormed by a group of separatists who caused serious damage both to its interior and exterior.
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expert Leo Hugot, who insisted on the historical image of the towers. The tower caps were finally finished in 1978.
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Starting from a fire in the Johann Peter Joseph Monheim Drug and Material Warehouse at 26 Antonius Street (
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645:, In: Aachen zum Jahr 1951, Hrsg. Rhein. Verein für Heimatpflege und Denkmalschutz, Düsseldorf, S. 152-165
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and his era – offering visitors a deep dive into life during this significant period in European history.
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457:. The city hall is still the residence of the mayor of Aachen and of the city council. The annual
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The Coronation Hall was also restored and a new entrance was constructed. In addition, the painter
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were severely affected. Five of the eight frescoes were removed by Franz Stiewi and stored at the
153:. Four limestone blocks formed the relief, with one serving for each king, and the last depicting
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Devastation of the interior of the city hall after its storming by separatists on 21 October 1923
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Characteristic of the time period, the wood paneling of the White Hall is in the style of Aachen-
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Das Rathaus zu Aachen: ein Führer für Besucher und Legende zu den Freskobildern des Kaisersaales
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in 1656, portions of the roof and towers burned. The destroyed elements were then replaced in a
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that took place in Aachen between 813 and 1531. The replicas include the copy of the
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are located in the city hall. The replicas were made around 1915 by order of Emperor
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von Albert Huyskens. Verlag des Aachener Geschichtsvereins, Aachen 1953, S.106-155.
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McClendon, Charles B. (1996). "Aachen". In Turner, Jane; Brigstocke, Hugh (eds.).
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Aachen in Trümmern: Die alte Kaiserstadt im Bombenhagel und danach.
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Bericht des Arbeitskreises für den Wiederaufbau der Rathaustürme.
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Bericht des Arbeitskreises für den Wiederaufbau der Rathaustürme.
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in: Aachener Beiträge für Baugeschichte und Heimatkunst. Bd.3.
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without sustaining damage, but during the civil unrest in the
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Zerstörung und Wiederaufbau des alten Rathauses in Aachen,
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Rethels Karlsfresken und die romantische Historienmalerei
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style. From 1727 to 1732 the Chief Architect of Aachen,
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Das alte Aachen seine Zerstörung und sein Wiederaufbau.
733:"Rathaus Aachen. Station Macht der Route Charlemagne"
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Since 2009, Aachen City Hall has been a part of the
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63:style in the first half of the 14th century.
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808:Buildings and structures completed in 1349
25:Aachen Town Hall seen from the cathedral
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693:Zur Geschichte der Aachener Rathausuhr.
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461:is awarded in the City Hall of Aachen.
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176:and disappeared during the war time.
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410:for an exhibition to commemorate 31
818:Buildings and structures in Aachen
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112:dynasty. Dating from the time of
735:. City of Aachen, The Lord Mayor
394:Replicas of the Imperial Regalia
704:, Einhard-Verlag, Aachen, 1996
650:Das gotische Rathaus zu Aachen.
833:City and town halls in Germany
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398:Nowadays, the replicas of the
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342:Aachen’s city hall survived
16:Town hall in Aachen, Germany
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447:Louis-André-Gabriel Bouchet
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233:War of Austrian Succession
485:Aachen 1977<ǃ---->.
416:Vienna Coronation Gospels
688:Droste, Düsseldorf, 1984
671:Aachen, J.A. Mayer, 1977
380:conservation-restoration
631:. Aachen: Jacobi, 1873.
513:Encyclopædia Britannica
363:Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum
149:and a depiction of the
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420:Sabre of Charlemagne
281:City hall fire, 1883
210:Johann Joseph Couven
202:Great Fire of Aachen
160:In 1798, during the
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196:around 1840
147:Three Kings
114:Charlemagne
110:Carolingian
75:Drawing by
802:Categories
753:50°46′34″N
739:2015-03-02
727:archINFORM
609:2024-06-14
575:2010-08-19
519:2013-11-08
469:References
430:, and the
408:Wilhelm II
324:Wilhelm II
250:Napoleonic
102:Aula Regia
756:6°05′02″E
451:Joséphine
317:spandrels
255:neogothic
143:limestone
35:‹See Tfd›
553:96013628
509:"Aachen"
443:Napoleon
359:frescoes
48:Altstadt
386:Present
206:baroque
180:Baroque
118:masonry
91:in 1647
79:in 1520
67:History
57:Germany
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422:, the
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271:Berlin
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61:Gothic
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39:German
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