Bauska Town Hall is a recently rebuilt 17th-century town hall building located in the middle of the Market Square in Bauska, Latvia.
History
In 1609 Duke Friedrich Kettler granted the new city of Bauska a city seal and this is considered as the year of gaining full city rights. In 1615 the duke allowed Bauska to build a town hall building. An existing stone building in the center of the Market Square was enlarged by 12 feet for this purpose, it gained a second floor built in a timber framing style and a tower steeple. Two decorative wooden staircases led to the second floor. Construction was completed in 1616. During 17th century Bauska Town Hall was the largest in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia.
The Town Hall basement was used for storing wine, while the first floor was used for the official city weight room and the living quarters for the Town Hall's servant. The hall on the second floor was used for the city Council work and meetings.
By the 18th century the arcade on the eastern side of the building was bricked in, and the space used by firefighters to store their equipment.
By the middle of 19th century the town hall building fell into disrepair. In 1852 the steeple and tower were demolished. In 1871 the second floor was dismantled as well. The remaining building was no longer used by the municipality and rented out for commercial use. New surrounding buildings were built on the Market Square and by the middle of the 20th century the old Town Hall was virtually forgotten.
Restoration
In the 1980s projects were drawn-up for the restoration of the Town Hall. During the economic and political upheavals that ended with the restoration of Latvia's independence, the project was shelved, but in early 2000s Market square was cleared from many buildings and the reconstruction work began. The rebuilt town hall building was completed in 2011. In 2013 a drinking water fountain and a clock on the tower facade were installed. Interior design work continued until 2014. The building is open to the public, it houses a museum and the Bauska tourist information center.
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The Town Hall in Bauska was built at the beginning of the 17th century and by the year 1740 it was the largest Town Hall in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and also one of the largest in all of Latvia.
In the year 1609, Bauska was granted its seal and with that the rights of a town. In 1615, Duke Friedrich of Courland conferred to Bauska the privilege to construct a town hall. In the centre of market square there was already a small one-storey Town Council building, constructed in the end of the 16th century. It was made bigger and higher and after one year the new building was ready for occupancy by the Town Council.
It was a two-storey brick building with an arcade in the extended eastern end, with a tower with cupola and steeple constructed in the timber frame and infill construction. Facades were modestly decorated only by volutes in the lowest part of the triangular pediments and by some corner rustification. In the 17th century the Bauska Town Hall was the largest in Kurzeme.
The Town Hall basement was in fact a wine cellar and on the first floor level were the quarters of the servant to the Town Council, and … the Town Scales. On the second floor - the Council meeting room and work space for council officials.
The ringing on the Bell Tower was a signal to the townspeople announcing important events. During the second half of the 19th century the Bauska Town Council had insufficient funds for renovations to the building, thus, in 1852 the damaged tower was dismantled. In 1871 the second floor of the building was also dismantled and the remaining space was rebuilt and leased out for shops.
The Town Hall has remained in this modest appearance until the present day. The Bauska Town Council has launched a new project with the expectation that by the year 2012 the Town Hall will have been completely renovated. After restoration work has been completed, visitors will be able to enjoy the new tourist attraction “Weigh and Measure Bauska”. The Bauska Tourism Information Centre is located in the building.
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