Rynek 41
The first, wooden town hall building was erected on the Bolesławiec market square probably in the 2nd quarter of the 14th century. In 1432, a new, masonry building was erected in its place. Since then, it has been remodelled several times. The oldest part preserved is the northern bay with the tower, dated back to the late 15th century and attributed to the Saxon-Lusatian lodge. Some researchers suggest these elements may be designed by the outstanding architect Wendel Roskopf of Zgorzelec who carried out a major remodelling of the town hall in 1525–1535. In that period, two representative rooms were built on the ground floor, now used as a wedding hall. In 1966, fragments of geometric sgraffito from the 2nd half of the 16th century were discovered, now reconstructed. In 1776–1781 the town hall gained a new, baroque form and façade decoration. Stone stairs were added to its body from the north and west, the tower was raised and surrounded with a gallery in the upper part. The last major remodelling of the town hall, carried out by the city councillor Wilhelm Dörich, took place in 1891-1893. At that time, the merchant stalls surrounding the building were removed and in the eastern and southern elevations – exposed as a result – Renaissance portals taken from the market square tenements were embedded.
Particularly noteworthy is the portal in the southern wall which serves as an entrance to the Wedding Hall. This is a real sculptural masterpiece – apart from a diverse set of ornaments (floral, arabesque, masks, herms, mascarons and rustication), it features a motif of warrior heads and crest of the founder – Mayor Paul Hanewald – placed in the upper part.
The neighbouring portal with floral motifs, bunches of fruit and so-called jewellery decoration originally framed the entrance to a pharmacy. The date 1672 and initials IHMV are engraved on the keystone. The lion’s figure that once adorned it has not been preserved.
On the southern elevation, there are two other interesting elements: the city’s crest from the 18th century with the Latin sentence: “Alarum illarum degent secent sub umbra curia, iura, salus, gensque, Bolesla tua!” (Under the protective shadow given by the wings of their rule, courts and law, your safe Bolesławiec residents) and a sundial from 1893 made by the local master Richard Munzky.
On the western side, a baroque staircase from 1781 made by master Böhm adjoins the town hall building.
On the northern side, there is a portal decorated with a motif of angel heads and floral ornament, taken from the tenement No 38. The elevation is also decorated with inscriptions: “Deo et Reipubl. S. MDCXXIIX ” (to God and the Republic in 1628), “Modeste Accedendum. Modeste Recedendum”(come carefully, leave carefully). A careful observer will also notice the date MDXXV (1525) associated with the remodelling begun in the W. Roskopf’s times.
On the eastern elevation, a bas-relief made by the Bolesławiec sculptor Jenny von Bary-Doussin was placed in 1913. It depicts an event from 1807, from the Napoleonic Wars era, when a city resident, Rosalia von Bonin, helped capture French General Bruno and take over military funds of 70,000 thalers. Below, there is a water fountain called Mrs. Bonin’s spring, which is a part of the municipal water supply system.
In the town hall basement, in the rooms once occupied by the restaurant “Piwnica Ratuszowa” (Ratskeller) the Wedding Hall is located now. The interiors include several smaller rooms connected by a series of passages. The most interesting one is a small room built after W. Roskopf’s design, with a magnificent curvilinear vault where ribs are arranged to form characteristic star-like contours. Roskopf took this decorative solution from his master, famous Benedict Rejt, who applied similar concept in the Vladislav Hall at the Royal Palace in Prague. The former hall of the city council meetings, decorated with paintings made in the 1970s by the local artist Mieczysław Żołądź, is also worth attention. The paintings include a panorama of Bolesławiec based on F.B. Werner’s drawing from the middle 18th century as well as portraits of famous people associated with the city: Martin Opitz, Wendel Roskopf and Antonio Toscano.
