Ratshof

Originally, the Ratshof was not directly on the market square, but behind the old townhall. It was only after this older building was demolished in 1948 after war damage that the Ratshof found itself, as it were, in the front row. Since then, the functional but monumental building which combines elements of the ‘New Building’ style with Expressionist and Neoclassical aspects has dominated the square. The five- to seven-storey cuboid building was built in 1929 under the direction of head of municipal planning Wilhelm Jost: a modern reinforced concrete frame structure, faced with slabs of shell limestone and travertine. The imposing building is lightened by a portico. The wall surfaces are broken up into sections; the top floor is set back from the rest of the building. Inside is a glazed courtyard which today houses the Residents’ Registration Office. A particularly striking feature are the five larger-than-life statues on the distinctive corner tower on Leipziger Straße. The original bronze figures were melted down in the Second World War and only replaced by copies in 1983.