St. Pölten Town Hall

In 1503, the city of St. Pölten purchased and restored the town hall.It is located on Rathausplatz in St. Pölten, Lower Austria, and houses the offices of the mayor, the city senate, and the municipal council.In addition, the building houses portions of the magistrate.

The town hall was first mentioned in a document in 1503: “…a house on the broader market [today’s town hall square] was bought to become a town hall for the common town…” The house purchased at the time was only the east half of the current structure.The western part was purchased in 1567 and later linked to the current structure.The facade has been united to the point where the prior separation is no longer visible.The octagonal town hall tower, which was once a granary and armory, was finished in 1591.

The town hall’s current baroque look dates from the first part of the 18th century.The façade was renovated by Joseph Munggenast in 1727.The mayor’s room, the old council chamber, was designed in 1722, notably the imperial ceiling with medallion portraits of the Roman-German emperors from Friedrich III. to Charles VI.Between 1750 and 1775, the onion dome was erected.

After the previous Kremser and Wienertor were demolished, the coat of arms ornaments were added.

The town hall has served several purposes over the years. It held the city scales, as well as the salt office and bread tables. Later, the town hall housed the first fire station, rescue garages, the library, the museum, and the city jail.

A sgraffito section from the late 14th century was discovered during rehabilitation work on the west front.