Altes Rathaus

Altes Rathaus Leipzig

The Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) in Leipzig is Germany’s oldest Renaissance town hall and was designed by Hieronymus Lotter in 1556; in the periods following, it underwent a number of reconstructions. One such reconstruction included the addition in 1599 of a platform above the town hall tower balcony used by the waits twice a day to perform the tower music. Inside, on the north face of the banqueting hall, there still survived the historical waits’ pew resting on Ionic columns arranged along walls that are covered with original paintings of Saxon sovereigns, Leipzig town councillors, majors and town magistrates. Immediately next to the banqueting hall there is a conference room called »Ratsstube« where Johann Sebastian Bach undersigned his contract as cantor of St. Thomas' and »Director musices«. Besides, this room exhibits one of the two paintings that are acknowledged to be definitely original portraits of Johann Sebastian Bach painted in oils by the Saxon court painter and appointed painter of the Leipzig town council Elias Gottlob Haussmann in 1746.

Address

Markt 1

04109 Leipzig

www.stadtgeschichtliches-museum-leipzig.de

accessible to wheelchair users

Public transport

City train lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5X (Markt stop), tram lines 4, 7, 15, 16 (Augustusplatz stop), 3, 9 (Thomaskirche stop), bus line 89 (Markt stop)

Traffic information via the Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe: https://www.l.de/en/mobility/trip-planner/