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Altes Rathaus

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flyingscot4
flyingscot4
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Altes Rathaus

  • December 6, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by flyingscot4 from Madison, Wisconsin
Altes Rathaus

The Altes Rathaus was built between 1616 and 1622 by the master builder, Jakob Wolff. The Renaissance style appears plain, but if one looks closely, there is plenty of ornamentation. There is actually an older Rathaus behind the one facing West. This older building is the original building and is from 1332 - 1340. The "Altes Rathaus" is no longer used as a city hall, but it holds relics of the past that are very interesting.

Of interest are the dungeons and the torture chamber beneath the Rathaus. They can be visited by tour only and are well worth the visit. Besides the brutality of the penal system in the dungeon, the torture chamber takes on even greater significance.

Of greater importance (while of lesser interest) are the West entrance doors and the sculptures above each of the three doors. They were added in 1524 and are of great importance, not because of their decorative value, but because of their relationship with the Reformation. Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the chapel door in Whittemberg in 1514 and in a period of a few years, Nürnberg posted Religious Tolerance documents and became mostly Protestant. In fact, Nürnberg today is half Catholic and half Protestant whereas Munich remains about 85% Catholic.

The scupltures above the doors depict symbolically the 7th Chapter of the Book of Daniel in the Bible. The four creatures represent the four empires that would rise and rule the known world - Babylon, Persia, Grecia, and Roman (hindsight is 20/20). There appears to be a Papal crown on the center horn of the fourth beast signifying the prophesy of an intolerant power that would arise and claim it had the power and authority to change God's Laws, i.e. the Roman Catholic Church.

Also found in these sculptures, are the Coats-of-Arms of Nürnberg. One shows a black eagle on a gold shield and is one of past coats of arms and no longer used. The other two are current and were adopted in 1936. The first is the "Greater (Great) Coat-of-Arms" of the city and dates to the 13th century. This depicts an eagle with the head of the King. In this statue the King is represented as a "harpy;" i.e. with a woman's head and breasts. The other is known as the "Lesser (Small) Coat-of-Arms and is a divided shield with the German eagle on the left half and red and white stripes on the right half. (There are photographs of each.)

Even if one has no interest in the Reformation, the dungeon and the torture chamber will certainly get one's attention and is well-worth a visit.

From journal Nürnberg - My Perfect City

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