The Town Hall

The construction of the town hall in Chojna started in the second half of the 13th century and lasted till the 14th century. The building was designed by Hinrich Brunsberg, who had also designed, e.g. St James Cathedral in Szczecin. The town hall was erected on a rectangular plan with dimensions of 13.7 m by 38.3 m.

The town hall, which initially was a merchant’s house, was founded by merchants of Chojna.

Most likely, the building already existed in 1366, because in this year Chojna became a seat of the Supreme and Tax Court for Neumark. In the documents from 1433, we can find information on courtrooms located in the building.

The building was extended in 1430 and its function changed – it became a seat of town authorities, but the first mentions that allow us to conclude the entire town hall was the seat of the town authorities can be found in the documents from March 13th, 1461. In the years 1433-1461, the building was rebuilt in the late Gothic style. During the reconstruction, it was decided to add another section to the town hall.

In the 18th century, the first floor of the side façades was removed and rebuilt in the baroque style, heightened by approximately 1.5 m. It is possible that the reconstruction was motivated by damages made by fire. Also, the windows of the first floor of the north façade and the southern portal were modernized; the interior of the town hall was rebuilt. The works were finished by 1710.

In the 19th century, the ground floor was adapted for administrative purposes and a number of offices, including mayor’s office and a conference room were created. At the same time, new window openings were knocked out in the side façades. In 1883, the façade was re-Gothicized.

The mediaeval building, unfortunately, has not survived military activities. In February 1945, the southern part of the town hall was blown up by the retreating German army. Only basements and enclosure walls have been preserved.

In 1969, the building was cleared of rubble and the cross-ribbed vaults in the basement were secured. In the late 1970s, a reconstruction initiated by the Provincial Historic Preservation Officer was carried out and lasted until 1986. The building was reconstructed according to the design by Alicja Tymczyszyn. The façade of the town hall has been reproduced as it looked like prior to 1945; the interior of the building has been adapted for a new function. Nowadays, the town hall houses a community centre and a municipal library.

Until 1695, in front of the building a wooden statue of Roland was located. Currently (since 1986), the town hall neighbours a monument made by Stanisław Biżek dedicated to “the fallen and those who survived to consolidate the Polishness of this land”.