New Town Hall, Legnica

It was meant to be a vast four-wing complex with two courtyards and a monumental tower, but only the first section was ever built. Even so, Legnica's New Town Hall, erected in 1902–1905, is impressive: five storeys, ornate gables, knights bearing coats of arms and a Bohemian lion above the pediment. It is a good stop for anyone who likes reading a city's history off its façades.

History: a town hall for a growing city

In the late 19th century Legnica (then the German town of Liegnitz) was expanding fast, and the Old Town Hall could no longer cope with a modern administration. The new building was designed by Paul Öhlmann, the city's building councillor and head of municipal construction from 1901. It went up on the former Friedrichsplatz, today's Plac Słowiański, south of the Church of St Peter and St Paul, now the cathedral. The plan called for four wings, two courtyards and a tower, but money ran out after the first phase. Polish city authorities have worked here since 1947, and on 14 April 1981 the building was listed as a historic monument.

What to look for on the façades

The neo-Renaissance building is L-shaped, with two projecting wings, gabled roofs with dormers and richly decorated gables. Take a closer look at the details:

• knights on the loggia pillars hold the coats of arms of Silesia, Legnica and Prussia,
• the top of the pediment repeats the cartouche with two crossed keys, the city's coat of arms,
• above it sits a Bohemian lion, Legnica's heraldic animal,
• the carvings on the northern oriel refer to the city's past,
• a small ridge turret with a two-tier open cupola crowns the roof.

Inside, the corridors are covered with barrel vaults with lunettes. As this is a working city hall, you will see the interiors only if you have business here, not as a tourist.

Tripto tip

Allow 15–20 minutes for the façades, ideally in the late morning or late afternoon, when side light brings out the carvings. Start on Plac Słowiański, then walk round the building to see the northern oriel. The New Town Hall combines easily with a walk to the cathedral, the Old Town Hall on the market square and the Piast Castle, all in the compact city centre.