Altes Rathaus (Bonn)

The Altes Rathaus at Bonner Marktplatz [de] was built between 1737 and 1738 in the Rococo style by the electoral court architect Michael Leveilly; however, it was not completely finished until around 1780.

[1] Apart from its central location in the Bonn-Zentrum [de] and its former function as the seat of the municipal administration, the town hall has also become famous for the gilded perron on the market square.

After a design by the master builder Nikolaus Krakamp [de] for a new town hall had been rejected,[2] court architect Leveilly came into play, whose design was available in autumn 1736[3] After his approval, Elector Clemens August of Bavaria laid the foundation stone for the new building on 24 April 1737, which was topping out on 5 November 1737 and could be occupied the following October; the first joint meeting of the Stadtmagistrat, mayor, lawyers and council took place here on 29 October 1738.

[2][5][4] On 18 October 1944, the town hall burnt down to the perimeter walls during the Allied bombing raids of the Second World War, and part of the vaults in the basement were also impacted.

[8][9] The building on Marktplatz lost its function as the seat of the municipal administration in 1978, as capacity was no longer sufficient after the mergers completed in 1969 and a new Stadthaus had been built in Nordstadt.

The renovation of the façade, doors, windows and roof that was carried out, as well as the renewal of the technology (heating, air-conditioning and sanitary installations) and the improvement of fire protection cost 5.45 million euros and lasted from February 2010 to June 2011.