The Cologne City Hall is the building of the city government and is located near the Cologne Cathedral. The oldest part of the building dates back to the first half of the 14th century. The Town Hall combines several architectural styles. For example, the 60 metre high tower was designed in the Gothic style, its front entrance reflects the Baroque style, and some details of the building are imitations of Romanesque architecture.
The tower of the town hall is decorated with statues made of sandstone. Among the personalities depicted one can find the most honourable citizens of the city, who played an important role in the history of Cologne in different time periods. Due to the fact that the material chosen was not particularly strong, all the statues of kings, nobles and saints were badly damaged. Some of the figures were made anew and placed on the tower in 1995.
At the end of the 14th century in the city hall held their meetings representatives of the Hanseatic League, which sought to form a confederation to oppose the king of Denmark Valdemar IV.
The town hall building was reconstructed in 1863 thanks to the efforts of the architect Julius Carl Raschdorf. Unfortunately, his task was not at all to restore the historical appearance of the building, but his own ideas about the future of the structure. During the Second World War, the Town Hall was very badly damaged, and the bombing raids destroyed numerous stone decorations, sculptures and unique architectural elements. Subsequently, detailed restoration works were carried out, thanks to which the town hall regained its original appearance, and all of Raschdorf's alterations were completely eliminated.
