Stuttgart’s City Hall was one of the city’s most important buildings and had served as its administrative centre for centuries. It was badly damaged during the Second World War, and although there was a possibility of rebuilding it, the authorities opted for a new design in keeping with the modernist tendencies of post-war Europe. Today’s edifice, erected in the 1950s, combines fragments of the former building with the simplicity and functionality of the International Style, bearing witness to the changes in the approach to architecture and identity of the post-war city.
The oldest town hall and the beginnings of a tradition
Stuttgart’s first town hall was built in 1456 and served its purpose for nearly four centuries. The building represented local varieties of the German Renaissance and was one of the most important landmarks in the landscape of the former city. Its presence on the market square underlined the stature of the city government and Stuttgart’s role as a growing centre of trade and administration. At the end of the 19th century, however, the building proved insufficient for the growing needs of the large city. The Stuttgart authorities therefore decided to build a new building to match the ambitions of the growing Württemberg capital.
Stuttgart town hall from the early 20th century
The new Town Hall was built between 1899 and 1905, designed by Heinrich Jassoy and Johannes Vollmer. The architects gave it a monumental and striking form, combining elements of the German Renaissance with Flemish Gothic details. The building’s façade was characterised by rich ornamentation, pointed windows and decorative gables, which were supposed to give it the character of a representative seat of the municipal authorities. Above the whole was a tower with a clock. In addition to offices and meeting rooms, the interiors also contained spaces for residents, in keeping with the idea of the town hall as a meeting place and centre of town life. The building was well received by the citizens and quickly became one of the symbols of Stuttgart.
Wartime damage and the decision for new construction
The town hall building was severely damaged during the air raids in 1944, but it was not the only one. The whole of Stuttgart suffered enormous damage from Allied bombing. In their aftermath, some 68 per cent of the city’s buildings were destroyed, and the historic and priceless city centre was almost completely razed to the ground. The attacks also claimed thousands of lives. In the ruins of the city, the walls of the town hall survived, which could form the basis for the eventual reconstruction of the edifice later on. However, in the climate of reconstruction in post-war Germany at the time, the historicising architecture was judged to be anachronistic and of little value. It was therefore decided to radically rebuild the town hall in line with the spirit of modernity.
Post-war town hall and modernist vision
In 1950, a competition was announced and a design by Hans Paul Schmoh and Paul Stohrer was selected. Their bold vision was realised between 1953 and 1956. The architects retained some of the wings of the previous building and the structure of the tower, albeit in a simplified and lowered form. The whole building was given a modernist expression, consistent with the international style of post-war architecture. The wing on the Marktplatz side was widened compared to the original. It is distinguished by its simple horizontal composition and large windows. The dominant feature of the building is the 61-metre tall clock tower with a chime clock, whose austere form contrasts with the historical buildings of the neighbouring Old Castle and Stiftskirche. The building was designed as a four-winged complex with an inner courtyard. The interiors of the new part were finished with marble and mosaics and decorated with paintings. In the pre-war part, however, traces of the old decoration can still be found.
Stuttgart Town Hall: architectureand functions today
The modern City Hall is a complex with a clear functional layout. It houses 220 offices and three meeting rooms, the largest of which can seat 520 people. The building is distinguished by its modernist exterior dominating the square and a tall tower with a chime that sounds daily at specific times. A preserved attraction is also the paternoster lifts, which are among the few active devices of their kind in Germany. Between 2002 and 2004, the town hall underwent extensive modernisation. The Belz, Kucher und Partner studio, under the direction of Walter Belz, designed the renovation of the façade, including the replacement of worn limestone cladding. New installations and technical solutions were also installed to bring the building up to modern requirements. The cost of the work amounted to €26 million.
Although the new town hall was built in the spirit of modernism, it retains elements reminiscent of earlier phases of construction. These include fragments of the old wings and the structure of the tower, making today’s city hall both a continuation and a reinterpretation of earlier architectural traditions from the early 20th century.
Source: stuttgarter-zeitung.de, stuttgart-tourist.de
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Stuttgart town hall before the war and today. Photo by Swabian Art Hans Boettcher, Stuttgart and Pjt56, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The wing on the Marktplatz side in the 1920s and today. Photo: Bildarchiv Foto Marburg and WhiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
View from one of the market streets to the town hall tower, 1930s and present. Photo Schmachtenberger & Wehner, postcard publisher Gmünde/Main and WhiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
