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Rathaus Paderborn

Paderborn Town Hall

Paderborn's new town hall was built in 1613-20 at the instigation of Prince-Bishop Dietrich von Fürstenberg. He had ordered in a council bill that the town hall be improved, but as it was rather dilapidated and the repairs too costly, it was better to demolish the old one. Dietrich had already taken violent action against Paderborn in 1604, breaking all resistance of the Protestant city regiment against re-Catholicisation and the sovereign's curtailment of the city's freedom. As a result, the city and town council undertook the project and paid the cost of around 8,000 talers.

Hermann Baumhauer, a master stonemason and bricklayer from Paderborn who had worked on the castles of Neuhaus and Wewelsburg, was responsible for the construction. Using a predecessor building dating from 1473, Baumhauer created the two-storey town hall on an almost square ground plan. The symmetrical market façade has two projecting bays with open arches on the ground floor. Their gables are a small prelude to the main gable, which rises behind them, with windows staggered on each storey. The dominant architectural elements are cornices, suspended half-columns and, on the contours, obelisks and curved turrets. The upper floor, which housed a hall and kitchen, appears as a continuous window front framed by slender columns.

The Town Hall was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War. It was rebuilt between 1947 and 1958.

"... to improve the town hall, but it is rather dilapidated and the repairs are too expensive; perhaps it would be better to pull down the old one."

Council proposal by Prince Bishop Dietrich von Fürstenberg

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Paderborn Town Hall, Gable
Paderborn Town Hall
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Jobst Gogreve

Paderborn Town Hall

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Jörg Unkair

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Katharina von Waldeck

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Lisbeth Fürstenau

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Anna von Canstein

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Simon VI. zur Lippe

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Jost Ziegenhirt

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Wolrad Ferber

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Jobst Gogreve

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Hilmar d.j. Münchhausen

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Dietrich von Fürstenberg

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Rathaus Paderborn

Paderborn Town Hall

Experience Paderborn Town Hall right here!

Get involved and bring history to life. Interesting hands-on activities await you!
Take a look at what Paderborn Town Hall has to offer at your leisure, come by, and immerse yourself in the Weser Renaissance period! Have fun!

Experience Paderborn Town Hall in a playful way - special for children!

What does it mean to be a "sly dog"? Mathilda the interactive mouse knows this and many other stories about Paderborn Town Hall. Download them here.

Experience Paderborn Town Hall on a day tour!

Would you like to visit Paderborn City Hall on a one-day tour? Then book our "Mighty and Magnificent - VIPs of the Weser Renaissance" travel package, and discover other buildings from the Weser Renaissance, such as Neuhaus Castle in Paderborn, Paderborn Cathedral and Höxter Town Hall.
For more information, please call 05261/94500.