The Old Town Hall
Station 1
The Old Town Hall of Burgebrach is the last surviving town gate, of which there were originally three. Apart from the so-called Oberes Tor (Upper Gate), there was also the Paththor (Baderstor), which was located to the north beside the present-day parish house and the Velterthor (Feldertor), which led to the fields in the south.
The town meetings used to be held under the Oberes Tor, "on the open street" as it were. Although there was a council chamber in the gatehouse, the tasks had grown over time and so a real town hall was finally built in this place in 1720. The building cost 2000 Gulden*, but this did not include cartage and manual labour, which is why the real price must have been much higher.
The prince-bishop finally granted a six-year exemption from taxation, in order to proceed with the construction. Various loans were raised from the citizenry, the Parish of St. Martin and the Nikolai Bridge endowment for additional financing. Money was also requested from the landlord of the Adler (an inn between the Hirsch and the Stern).
A special tax was imposed on the Jews resident in the town to raise more income. However, this did not damage relations between the Jews and Christians.
The embellishment of the town hall, the tower, was not added until 1847 on account of a lack of financial resources.
The building has also gone through quite a lot during its history: when Napoleon marched with his army against Russia, he held a council of war in the chambers of the town hall. In 1945 a 250 kg bomb was stored in a box in the large archway, where cars pass through today. If necessary, it was to be blown up as a defence against the Allies. Fortunately, this did not happen, because the Americans advanced through Ampferbach. The agricultural training college was accommodated in the Old Town Hall from 1950 to 1972. The years of war took their toll on the town hall. A complete restoration was carried out in 1981/82.
Nowadays couples celebrate a civil wedding in an impressive setting where council meetings were once held. The bell used to be rung to summon people to these meetings. Today it is rung for funerals
Much has happened in the Old Town Hall! As the last of the three town gates, a number of important events have taken place here: the council used to convene, a council of war was held and it could even have been blown up! Today you can view the almost 200-year-old building at your leisure and even get married there.
96138 Burgebrach
Telefon 0123-4567890