Description: Having arrived outside the Ratusz in Słupsk you can't help but admire this landmark although I don't think it is the most elegant of buildings. Neogothic in style, this building was built in 1901, a replacement for the original 17th century Town Hall and took two years to build. Karl Zaara and Rudolf Vahl were responsible for its construction.
I like the design of the Guildhall tower which has been open to visitors since 2003 and stands at 56 metres high. If you have a head for heights I suggest you take a walk to the observation deck so you can see the panoramic views of the town and valley of the River Słupia. On your way to the tower you will meet an interesting collection of portraits of past Mayors and Presidents. Interesting to note how many of the images in the portraits have stern faces. I wonder why portraits are always so serious. Why not paint a happy face rather than a grim one?
If old portraits aren't your thing then there is an exhibition of Polish eagles as well as a working mechanism of the old clock that still works and has been working for over 100 years.
The Ratusz is a very large building and does take a while to walk around. I find the front façade too large and rather dull. Here, far too many red bricks have been used in construction and although there are some very attractive arched windows and turrets I prefer the back of the building to look at. Ivy has started to trail up the walls of the back of the building and I like the fact that you can see the detail of the red roof tiles and every arched window edged in red brick. The tiny windows at the top of the building are cute - they look like small faces with pointed hats. There is a good colour balance here too with the white walls blending in with the red outlined windows and roof.
On the first floor of the interior there is a figurine of a bear. This bear belongs to the town of Słupsk and he is meant to be a very lucky bear bringing happiness and luck to the town. Here you will also see the Key to Europe presented next to the lucky bear.
Outside the City Hall there is a very large car park which is a good thing in one way as you don't have to go far to find a parking space and from here you can walk to any of the attractions in the town and to the tourist information office. However, I do think the car park full of cars is distracting and takes away some of the initial beauty of the building. It is very difficult to take a photograph of the building without having cars dominate the picture.
At the far end of the car park there is a very interesting monument made from stone of a soldier standing holding a sword with a stone pillar as a backdrop.This is dedicated to the Polish soldiers who defended the motherland from 1939-1945.
You can find the City Hall at Plac Zwycięstwa 3, Słupsk, Poland
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