Historical town hall

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Welcome to the heart of the city of Altenburg, on the large market square. Here you will find the town hall, which with its bay windows and cornices is one of the most important Renaissance town halls in Germany.

With this detailed facade, it is hard to imagine that it only took 2 years to complete. The Weimar master builder Nikolaus Gromann and Caspar Böschel – who put his plans into practice – really worked hard and could see their work as completed in 1564.

If you look closely you will discover a few other structural features. The "gaff heads" which are located at the portals are very well known. These are elongated, bearded male heads that are supposed to represent councilors from this time. Take a look at this picture. Not exactly flattering, is it?

The interior of the building is also well worth seeing. Here you can decide whether you want to visit the council hall with its splendid beamed ceilings and a large fireplace or if you prefer to stop off in the council cellar.

There you can fortify yourself with home-style cuisine from Thuringia (take a look at the menu) and marvel at the twelve-arched high cross vaults. But consider the reminder on the arch of the entrance to the town hall:

"And don't drink yourself full of wine,
out of it comes a messy being. "

At the end you can let your gaze wander over the market square. There are many splendid town houses here and the romantic alleys invite you to stroll. A weekly market is also regularly held on the market square, which is one of the largest in Germany. In addition to the main market, there are a few other beautiful marketplaces in Altenburg. On the map below you can see an overview of the Altenburg markets.

The year 2014 was under the theme „Reformation and politics“ and the City of Altenburg dedicated an exhibition to the life and work of Georg Spalatin. That was the first time an exhibition ever solely focused on the close friend of Martin Luther, who says of himself that without him the Reformation would not have happened the way it did.  In this video architect Nicolaus Gromann tells you about the Renaissance town hall he planned.