Market Square and Town Hall in Kluczbork

The relief in the tympanum on the west wall of the town hall shows a square that no longer exists: the town hall surrounded by twelve small houses known as the "Twelve Apostles". A fire in 1925 destroyed eight of them; the two survivors still stand against the town hall. It is a good place to start exploring Kluczbork.

History: a town hall rebuilt after fires

Kluczbork's first town hall burned down in 1738. It was rebuilt in 1738–1741, enlarged in 1752 and given a tower. By 1841 that tower was in such poor shape that it was pulled down; a new one went up in 1858, and a year later it received a clock. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the building was extended twice, with a new council chamber opening in 1909. The 1925 fire on the square also damaged the town hall, which was restored the following year. The last major renovation, together with new access roads, took place in 2011–2012.

What to see

• The town hall – a two-storey building on an elongated plan under a mansard roof with decorative dormers.
• The turret with a lantern, openwork balustrade and four clock faces, clad in copper.
• The Neo-Baroque main portal, recreated after the fire, and the Baroque heraldic cartouche at the top of the façade.
• The tympanum with its relief of the square as it looked before 1925.
• Two "Twelve Apostles" houses (Rynek 2 and 3), their gables framed by scrolls.

Did you know?

When the spire was taken down on 13 July 2012, workers found a galvanised tube inside the copper ball containing three documents from 1926: a message from mayor Waldemar Rech and an account of the town hall's history from 1752 to 1926. The texts were translated into Polish and published for residents. Today the building houses the registry office and a library, among others.

Tripto tip

The square is open at all hours, and it is the starting point of the town heritage trail, opened in June 2021. A circuit of the square and town hall takes about fifteen minutes; the full walk including the Church of Christ the Saviour and the Jan Dzierżon Museum about an hour and a half. Before setting off, look closely at the tympanum – it is the only way to see the old square complete.