historic town hall

www.feldkirch.at
Historic town hall
Dear visitors and guests,
Feldkirch can count itself lucky to have
an historic city centre that is so well-reowned for its buildings. Apart from wellknown landmarks such as Schattenburg
Castle, the Katzenturm and the Churer
Tor, the town hall has always been part
of this rich historic heritage.
ll of these changes have left their uniA
que marks on our town hall; a truly historical treasure. We want to provide you
with an insight into the building´s history
as it has changed throughout the ages.
I would like to invite you to explore our
town hall with the help of this guide.
For over five-hundred years, the seat of
Feldkirch’s municipal administration has
been located at its present-day location
in Schmiedgasse. Right in the heart of
town, the building has witnessed several
Mag. Wilfried Berchtold
changes over the centuries.
Throughout the years, it has fulfilled va- Mayor
rious functions: from granary to cloth
hall, bank and finally today’s citizens
advice bureau.
Town Hall Chronology
•
The first town hall was supposedly situated near the Mühletor in Feldkirch’s
Vorstadt.
• 1490-93: A new town hall was erected on its present-day site in the city
centre. The ground floor contained a
granary and there was a hall where
women could sell their homemade fabrics on the first floor.
• 1697:In a major city fire, the town hall
was destroyed. Reconstruction was
carried out by master mason Johann
Bader from the Bregenzerwald and
master carpenters Johann and Andreas Jäger.
• 1816: During restoration, the frescos
on the facade were destroyed.
• 1897: In the former granary, offices
for the Stadtsparkasse (“City Savings
Bank”) and other institutions were established.
• 1932-36: Reconstruction and expansion of the town hall, incorporating
the former Holy Ghost Hospital and
Neustadt Facade
•
•
old people´s home. A new entrance
was built in Schmiedgasse.
1936:Artistic contest was held. Frescos
with motives inspired by the city’s history were added to the facades.
1998-99: Reconstruction. Offices and
a conference room were set up in the attic. On the ground floor a Bürgerservice
(“Citizens Advice Bureau”) was established.
In 1935, the City of Feldkirch held a
contest for the artistic design of the town
hall facades. First prize was won by the
Tyrolean architect and painter Nikolaus
Prachenky (1898-1956). In the actual
implementation of his plans, he was supported by the well-known painter and
art school director Toni Kirchmayr.
Depicted on the Neustadt facade is the
handing over of the so-called „Letter of
Liberties“ by Count Rudolf V. to the City
of Feldkirch in the year 1376. With
this document, he conceded numerous
privileges to Feldkirch’s citizens.
Above the main portal, there is a clay
sculpture created by Bregenzerwald
artist Kaspar Albrecht (1889-1970),
representing the city´s patron, Saint
Nicholas.
Schmiedgasse Facade
In between the ground floor and the first
floor are a number of crests of old Feldkirch families.
Two soldiers are depicted directly above
the line of crests. The citizen armed with
a rifle commemorates the military commitment of militia, citizens and farmers
from the Vorarlberger Oberland against
the French soldiers attack on Feldkirch
in 1799. The soldier to the right commemorates the numerous victims of World
War I. Between the two soldiers is the
Feldkirch coat of arms.
Just below the third floor, there is the
double-headed eagle with the red-whitered coat of arms. This was the common
Austrian state emblem between 1934
and 1938.
Up until World War I, the town hall bell
hung in the little turret on the roof. The
ringing of this bell announced the beginning and the end of the weekly market, the start of city councils as well as
serving as an alarm. It was taken down
in 1916 and melted down for military
usage.
In the years 1931/32, major reconstruction and expansion work was done on
the town hall. The adjacent hospital building was then adapted for office use
and the two buildings were connected
by a staircase.
Maximi lian I.
In the course of these alterations, the
town hall entrance was relocated to this
staircase. This is how today’s main entrance came to be. For the stone arch,
stones from the former entrance of the
old hospital in Schmiedgasse were used.
They can be identified by their darker
colour. Initially it was planned to transfer the inscription of dedication from the
old hospital entrance. Unfortunately, this
was never done.
Above the portal are family emblems of
some of the more important citizens of
Feldkirch. The chiselled crest of the family Rainold von Babenwohl protrudes
fom the façade, depicting the cambered
horn of an ibex.
On the facade of the former hospital
wing, Emperor Maximilian can be seen
wearing a red coat as well as the chain
of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is
surrounded by patricians, presumably city
councillors and mayors.
The emperor visited Feldkirch on numerous occasions whereby he proved to be
extremely generous towards the city in the
form of donations and privileges.
Citizens and Patricians
During the Middle Ages and later, Feldkirch housed rich families who acquired
their wealth from trade, giving credit and
viniculture. Their mansions and country estates in the Vorderland are witness to this
wealth. Members of these families were
also active as officers in the emperor’s
service. In early modern times, councillors
and mayors emerged from class. The crests
of the families Metzler, Pappus, Litscher,
Stoß and Furtenbach are visible on the
Schmiedgasse facade, those of the Stöckli, Fröwis, Han and Schnetzer families are
to be seen on the Neustadt facade.
Ground Floor
Entrance Schmiedgasse
In the Entrance Hall
Feldkirch painter and museum founder
Florus Scheel tried to depict the “old”
Feldkirch in a historical city view painting to the left of the staircase. The city’s
fortifications – which begin next to Schattenburg castle – the city wall, numerous
towers and the Churertor (“Chur Gate”
with its former drawbridge) can easily
be seen.
ported from southern Germany was sold.
From the late 19th century until 1967 the
City Savings Bank was accommodated
on the ground floor of the town hall.
To the right of the main entrance is the
passage leading to the city police and
the lost property office. Until 1876, the
former hospital’s chapel was located in
these rooms. In 1998, remains of it were
Next to this painting is the entrance to the uncovered during renovation work. A
Citizens Advice Bureau, where the grana- belfry on the ridging was also part of
ry used to be. Here grain which was im- this chapel.
On the Stairway
There are two portraits in oil on the first
floors staircase area: one is of Empress
Elisabeth and the other of Emperor
Karl VI. (1711-1740), the parents of
Empress Maria Theresia (1740-1780).
Both paintings are dated 12th January
1722, commemorating the so-called
“Pragmatic Sanction”. The succession
arrangement for Maria Theresia was
accepted by Vorarlberg´s provincial
administrators here in the town hall.
Above the entrance to the mayor’s secretariat, there is a portrait of Emperor
Franz II. (1792-1835) who presented
Pragmatic San cti on
Emperor Karl VI did not have any sons.
Through treaties with other states as
well as through negotiations with the
countries of his empire, he tried to secure succession for his daughter Maria Theresia in order to guarantee the
existence of his inseparable and indivisible empire. 12th January 1722,
the so-called Pragmatic Sanction was
accepted by Vorarlberg’s provincial administrators in the city council hall in baroque splendour. During the reading of
the text, the delegates performed deep
bows whenever the emperor’s name
was mentioned.
this painting to the administrators of Vorarlberg with his thanks for their services
in the war year of 1799.
Standing in front of the entrance to the
office is an old traditional table from the
Montafon region, complete with characteristic antique chairs, black slate panels
and razor-thin inlays made of various
types of wood.
Above the table is the painting “Defamation of Christ” by an unknown master.
The card-playing soldiers are what is
especially noteworthy about this picture,
which was painted around 1600.
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Hallway to the Former Hospital
Wing
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1. Stock
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Left of the stairway are portraits of the
following mayors of Feldkirch:
1 Peter Josef Leone, Stadtamman (1768)
unsuccessfully tried to stop the reforms of the municipal constitutional
and administrative system ordered by
a government commission; thereupon
he was jailed in Hohenems Castle.
2 Friedrich Gehring, mayor (1851-56)
3 Heinrich Blum, mayor (1856-57)
4 Andreas Knight of Tschavoll, mayor
(1873-80, 1883-84)
industrialist and patron of the arts; established a park at his own expense;
today’s Rösslepark.
5 Alois Dressel, mayor (1911-14)
Christian Socialist; music teacher; first
full-time mayor of Feldkirch.
6 Anton Gohm, mayor (1920-34)
Christian Socialist; during his term
in office, Feldkirch was enlarged through the integration of the neighbouring villages of Altenstadt, Tisis and
Tosters; painted by Martin Häusle,
1944.
7 Erwin Hefel, mayor (1938-43)
National Socialist; killed in Russia
during World War II.
City Council Chamber
Striking in this part of the building is
the door to the City Council Chamber
(Room 20). The door consists of a number of wrought-iron panels that are held
together by rivets.
This room - built on to the town hall in
the shape of a tower-like building - is the
former city archive. The massive door as
well as three wrought-iron shutters protected the archive from theft and fire.
Political Parties and Suffrage Fi res
Up until the 19th century, there were no
political parties in the modern sense of the
word in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Later the liberal party was the first to become
politically dominant. The forerunners of
today’s big parties SPÖ (Austrian Social
Democratic Party) and ÖVP (Austrian
People’s Party) only came into existence
at the end of the 19th century. These
were the Social Democratic Labour Party (founded in 1874) and the Christian
Socialist Party (founded in 1893).
General suffrage for men was introduced in 1907. Only after the end of
World War I in 1918, were women also
allowed to vote.
Throughout the Middle Ages, most
houses were built of wood and up until
modern times, wooden tiles were used
for roofs.
When a fire broke out in one house,
it was almost impossible to prevent it
from spreading to other buildings in the
neighbourhood. Then, the only fire fighting tools available were buckets.
In 1603, 48 houses and 10 stables burned down in the Vorstadt and in 1697
almost the entire town was destroyed by
fire. In 1729, a Fire Ordinance was
issued as a rule of conduct in the case
of fire.
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In the City Council Chamber, there are
more portraits of a number of former
Feldkirch mayors:
1 Franz Unterberger, mayor (1914-20,
1934-38)
Christian Socialist; bookseller;
painted by Feldkirch painter Gusi
Mayer.
2 Josef Mähr, mayor (1945-56)
ÖVP; reconstruction mayor after
the war; painted by Eugen Jussel,
1956.
3 Lorenz Tiefenthaler, mayor (1956-70)
ÖVP; painted by Eugen Jussel.
4 Dr. Heinz Bilz, mayor (1970-91)
ÖVP; painted by Eugen Jussel
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Hallway to the City Council Hall
“Mocking of Christ”
Mid-17th century
The historical wing of the town hall can unknown master.
be reached by turning right at the top of
the staircase, passing through a sandstone arch and a massive wooden door.
There are chimneys on both sides of the
hallway and decorative stucco elements
are visible right above the portal, showing both the Austrian coat of arms and
Feldkirch’s city emblem.
painting
by
an
The height of this hallway and the mighty beams and columns are impressive.
The former city chamber (“Ratszimmer”),
which is now used as the mayor’s office,
and the city council hall are located on Vestry Cupboard
the left and there have always been of- At the end of the hallway, there is a cabifices on the right.
net and masterpiece by Feldkirch’s carpenters and joiners. Originally coming
from the parish of Nofels, it was used in
the vestry there and has beautifully turned columns on the left and right.
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Bronze Bust
Opposite the cabinet is a bronze bust by
Gert Hoor. It portrays Prof. Eugen Jussel,
honoured with the city’s ring and one of
Feldkirch’s most important 20th century
painters. Jussel himself painted a number of portraits of Feldkirch mayors.
Epitaph
Above the bust is the epitaph of the Weinzierl family. It originates from Feldkirch’s
cemetery. The upper part of the painting
depicts scenes from the Bible such as
the empty tomb of Jesus, his ascension,
Simon’s fight with the lion and the destruction of the Philistines’ hall. In the foreground, the benefactor’s family can be
seen wearing their contemporary costumes . Numerous epitaphs stemming
from three centuries have been preserved in museums. They are an interesting
source for the clothing and social history
of Feldkirch.
Immortalisation in a door frame
In the right column of the office entrance
(room 105) opposite the City Council
Hall, carpenters engraved the dates of
the installation (1699) as well as renovation (1721), and an initial and the
city emblem.
“Death Buckler”
To the left of the council hall entrance,
a buckler made in 1576 commemorates
Hans Metzler of Andelberg, councillor
and important administrative magistrate
of Archduke Ferdinand. From his family which moved to Feldkirch from the
Bregenzerwald, originated a number of
„Mayors“. Death bucklers were usually
displayed in churches.
City Council Hall
Sculptures
Right above the council hall portal which was designed in the fashion of the
time around 1700 - are two sculptures:
On the left, Archangel Michael with his
burning sword as guard of the door to
paradise and on the right, Lady Justice
wearing a blindfold. She reminds us of
the council hall’s former use as the venue
of the city court.
Carvings in Wall and Ceiling
The portal’s frame on the side hall is
decorated with elaborate carvings and
round columns. The baroque pageantry
of the room is dominated by the gorgeously constructed coffered ceiling and
the surrounding panels made of pine
wood.
The ceiling was put up after the major
fire in the year 1697. The panels of the
wooden ceiling are framed by intricate
carvings in the shape of laurel stalks
and acanthus twines. Remarkable are
the fruit- and flower-shaped carvings on
the surrounding wooden frieze above
the wall.
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Stained glass window
The hall’s stained glass window was
a gift from the neighbouring city of Alt­
stätten on the occasion of Feldkirch’s
750th anniversary in 1968. It displays
Count Hugo I. of Montfort and the minstrel Konrad of Altstätten. The window
was created by the Swiss artist Albert
Wider.
“War Buckler”
The war buckler, decorated with the
city emblem and the crests of the then
allied states of Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria and Turkey, reminds us of
the hardships of World War I. Between
1914 and 1918 the war buckler was
located in a wooden hut in the Marktgasse. Whenever a soldier had died,
his friends and acquaintances could buy
nails and hammer them into the buckler.
The proceeds were put into a fund that
supported widows and orphans of those
killed on the battlefields.
World War I
Shortly after the mobilisation in August
of 1914, reservists congregated at
Feldkirch’s railway station in good spirits, to meet up with their regiments. On
the Russian front, all three Kaiserjäger
regiments were annihilated within a
year. By Whitsun of 1915, the so-called
Landesschützen, that is the marksmen
who were part of the militia, also had
to march off to the mountainous front of
South Tyrol.
Apart from the big losses of life on the
battlefields, the war turned into a time
of hunger and misery for the civilian population.
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Paintings
Hanging on the wall with the stained
glass window are paintings of Feldkirch’s
first two honorary citizens: Major General Franz Jellacic, the victor in the Battle
of Feldkirch in 1799 as well as of the
governor of Tyrol and Vorarlberg, Count
Ferdinand Bissingen-Nippenberg.
A picture of the head of state, the emperor, was always hung up in the town
hall. On the occasion of his birthday, it
was decorated and put on display in the
council hall for official festivities.
Other paintings in the council hall show
emperors, their wives, town leaders and
mayors.
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1 Zacharias Ignaz Furtenbach,
Stadtamman (1671-1734)
2 Josef Melchior Kessler, mayor
(1800-1819)
For his merits, he was awarded the
title “Fürstentreu” (“Loyal to the Sovereign”) in 1803. His daughter married Johann Josef Ganahl, the founder
of a well-known industrialist family in
Feldkirch.
3 Emperor Leopold I. (1658-1705)
Next to him his wife Margaretha Theresia.
4 Emperor Joseph I. (1705-1711)
Next to him his wife Amalie Wilhelmine of Braunschweig.
5 Empress Maria Theresia (1740-1780)
6 Emperor Joseph II. (1765-1790)
As a child.
7 Emperor Leopold II. (1790-92)
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In the revolutionary year of 1848, disiedg
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trict captain Ebner, the province´s supreme magistrate, was forced to host a
convention of the provincial administrators in Feldkirch, something that had not
been done in 40 years. Ebner and Carl
Ganahl, a liberal politician, got into an
argument on how to elect and appoint
the delegates. When the administrators
met in the council hall 18th April 1848,
Ganahl and his supporters made such a A Multifun ctional Hall
noise that the meeting had to be discontinued. This event marked the end of the The City Council Hall was the meeting
revolution.
place for both the city’s councillors as
well as Vorarlberg’s administrators,
taking turns with Bregenz.
But in the hall, theatrical performances
and concerts took place too. Each year
saw the performance of a play in Latin by the grammar school which was
run by Jesuits. In 1952 and 1953, the
Theatre for Vorarlberg organised reading performances.
Exhibitions also took place in this hall.
In 1844, an exhibition of industrial products from Vorarlberg was put on display
Furniture
for the visiting archdukes Franz Joseph,
When it comes to the furniture, the Franz Karl and Karl Ludwig.
mayor’s armchair is especially worth Hard to imagine nowadays were the
mentioning. This chair is decorated with festivities held on the occasion of the
a carved masceron on the backrest as emperor’s birthdays. Full of patriotic ferwell as lion heads on the carved endings vour, festivities concerning the imperial
of the back jambs. The councillors´ tab- family were joyfully celebrated in the
les and armchairs were made in 1929. council hall.
Mayor’s Office
The mayor’s office can by visited on
request and features an especially remarkable coffered ceiling. In the middle
is a 3-D carved genie. Such guardian
angels were a popular motif during the
baroque period. In his hands he is holding Feldkirch’s city emblem as well as
the Austrian coat of arms.
Furniture
Part of the furnishing in the mayor’s office is an 18th century table with an inlayed slate panel. The table comes with
a number of nut wood chairs. Opposite
the table is a large early 18th century
cupboard.
Stemming from the same time is a washing cabinet, a so-called lavabo with
well-proportioned design, artistic inlays,
turnery and carvings which make it an
outstanding piece of work.
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Paintings
1 Arnold Ganahl, mayor (1885-1900)
Liberal; industrialist; president of the
Chamber of Commerce.
2 Dr. Josef Peer, mayor (1900-1909)
Liberal; lawyer; during his term of
office, Feldkirch was equipped with
a modern drinking water supply system, a sewage water system and an
electric power station. Later on he became Provincial Administrator in
Liechtenstein and a Supreme Court
judge in Vienna.
3 City view by Franz Xaver Bobleter
4 City view by Josef Bucher
Heiligkreuz Bridge in the foreground;
print.
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From “Stadtamm an” to
mayor
Originally, a so-called “Stadtamman”
who had been appointed by the town
nobles, was in charge of the administrative and political leadership of Feldkirch. Later on, Count Rudolf V. granted
Feldkirch’s population the free election
of the Stadtamman in the “Letter of Liberties”. Such a free and independent
vote took place for the first time in 1382.
Ever since the year 1786, the term “mayor” has been in use. The city annals list
118 Stadtammänner and mayors since
1381.
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iedga
Second Floor
On the left, next to the end of the stairway, there is a collection of three historical city views by an unknown artist (see
preface for picture).
To the right of the stairway, behind the
building authority’s info service centre,
there is an old fireplace reminding us of
the days when these rooms served as
the residence of the city treasurer.
sse
Population Development
Feldkirch City
1808
1824
1869
1880
1900
1910
1920
1.034
1.020
2.868
3.564
4.616
5.056
4.593
Feldkirch, incl. incorporated villages
1934
12.909
1939
13.067
1945
17.900
1946
15.058
1950
15.548
1960
18.531
1970
23.086
1980
24.626
1990
27.062
2000
29.664
2010
33.052
City of Feldkirch
Schmiedgasse 1
6800 Feldkirch, Austria
Tel +43 5522 304-1110
[email protected]
www.feldkirch.at
Acknowledgements
Publisher: City of Feldkirch, 2013, 3rd edition
Accountable for the contents: public relations department, city of Feldkirch
Contributors to this booklet: Mag. Daniel Moosbrugger,
Mag. Christoph Volaucnik, Thomas Kelterer
Photos: Reinold Lins
Layout: grafik caldonazzi, Frastanz,
www.caldonazzi.at
Printing: Bucher Druck, Hohenems