Altes Rathaus Dorsten

The plastered, two-storey eaves building with a hipped roof was first built in 1567 as the Stadtwaage (town scales).
It got its current design in 1797. The very neo-classical design is characterised by clarity, symmetry and a discrete ornamentation. The then existing building was converted into the town hall and expanded toward the market square by an arcade.
From 1902 to 1925, the old building was used as the municipal treasury (städtische Kämmereikasse) and from 1935 as a local history museum.
It is one of the very few downtown buildings that were not destroyed in WWII. It is thus a rather original testimony to neo-classical architecture. In 1962, however, the former town hall got a new colour, blue, painted in latex, which was not quite in line with regulations pertaining to the preservation of historical monuments, but was still kept for a number of years.
The old town hall was listed on October 18, 1986 for its importance in terms of the town’s local and architectural history. In order to restore the historical character of the old town hall, it was fully renovated in 1997 and partially restored in terms of aspects of art history.
In July 2004, the building became the friends of “Altes Rathaus Dorsten’s“ HQ and has since been used for cultural events. This necessitated an escape route at its back. In 2005/2006, a modern concrete emergency staircase was built and another reworking of the buildings’ facade had become necessary.

Author: Stadt Dorsten
Last changed on 12.02.2008

Categories:
Architecture » Public Buildings » Administrative/Town Halls