Rathaus Hamburg (Town Hall)

The splendid sandstone construction in neo-Renaissance style, built 1886 - 1897, dominates the city centre with its impressive architecture. Hamburg’s Town Hall is the seat of the city senate and the municipality of Hamburg and has 647 rooms!

After Hamburg’s Town Hall burnt to the ground in 1842, the town council moved into temporary quarters in the former orphanage in the Admiralitätsstraße and after that into the building of the Patriotische Gesellschaft – the temporary solution lasted over 55 years!

The new Rathaus was inaugurated in 1897. It stands on over 4000 oak posts. Very much in contrast to the Hanseatic style, the Town Hall gleams with an elaborately ornate façade which is graced by a total of 20 statues of the Kaiser. Above the main door a sentence is written in Latin which translated reads: “May the descendants seek to uphold the freedom which was won by our forefathers.”

The grand banquet hall in the Rathaus is 46 metres long, 18 metres wide and 15 metres high. Five huge paintings depict the history of Hamburg from 800 to 1900, 62 coats of arms of the cities of the ancient Hanseatic league adorn the walls. The three chandeliers each with 278 bulbs weigh 1500 kilos apiece!