As the Old City Hall of Hamburg completely burnt down in the "Great Fire" in 1842 and the plans for a new city hall progressed very slowly, the senate had to meet in provisional rooms for a long period. It took more than 40 years for people to decide about the design of the new city hall. Only in 1886 was the decision reached and the building works started. 11 years later, the new city hall was opened and the senate could meet here again.
Hamburg's city hall still is the seat of the government as well as of the parliament of Hamburg.
In the design of the city hall, as many as seven architects were involved. However, not only the planning process was quite difficult, but the actual building works as well. In order to be able to build the foundation for the city hall, 4,000 piles had to be driven in the ground in order to support the large weight of the future building. But all that effort turned out to have been worth it: the city hall of Renaissance style became quite an impressive and representative building.
The interior of the city hall is also worth a visit. Unlike the exterior, it was not designed in Renaissance style, but as a mixture of various styles. In the courtyard of the city hall, there is the beautiful Hygieia fountain.
From 1987, the city hall was renovated completely for ten years.
