The Hauptmarkt in Stollberg/Erzgebirge – West Side
The Hauptmarkt of Stollberg/Erzgeb. is the historic centre of the town and at the same time its most representative square. The gently sloping, elongated rectangle rises from east to west, lending the view towards the western side of the square a natural sense of depth. On this west side stand the defining buildings of the town centre: the town hall, flanked by commercial buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Rathausstraße leaves the square in the middle, and the Hohensteiner Straße departs to the north (right edge of the panorama). In front of the town hall stands the Hauptmarktbrunnen as the central feature of the square.
The Town Hall / Rathaus
The town hall on the left of the panorama is the dominant building of the square and is a listed monument. It was not the first town hall in the city’s history – Stollberg had several predecessor buildings over the centuries, most recently the so-called Preiß-Gut on the market square, which had been converted into a provisional town hall and fitted with a tower. However, with the rapid growth of the town through industry and population in the late 19th century, this building became too small for the expanding administration. An architectural competition was held and won by the architects Hartel and Neckelmann. The foundation stone was laid on 5 November 1886, and under the supervision of local master builder Baurat Carl Albin Uhlmann the building was completed within a year. The new town hall was ceremonially inaugurated on 19 October 1887. The Preiß-Gut continued to be used until its demolition in 1888.
Architecture and Façade
The council building is considered a typical example of Neo-Renaissance architecture. Its façade, clad in red clinker brick, is decorated with pale yellowish sandstone elements in the form of edges, bands, and relief work – a combination of brick and light natural stone characteristic of the period. The tower façade features three triangular gables, while window and door surrounds are executed in sandstone. A hipped roof crowns the main body of the building.
The true focal point of the building is the tower projecting towards the market square: it begins on a square plan, transitions to an octagon in the upper storey through chamfered corners, and is topped by a bell-shaped, slate-clad cap. The main entrance is located within the tower, reached via a flight of steps arranged to one side. The town hall is a defining feature of the townscape and is of both local historical and architectural significance.
The Hauptmarkt and its Surroundings
The market fountain in front of the town hall enlivens the square as its central decorative element. Spanning the Rathausstraße, which runs alongside the town hall, is a permanent Schwibbogen – a distinctly Erzgebirge decorative arch that bridges the street space and references the region’s folk art tradition. Stollberg is a well-known venue for Schwibbogen displays and regularly hosts the Stollberger Schwibbogenschau.
On the left of the panorama, at the transition to the Herrenstraße, the commercial building of the bookshop Bücher-Walther marks the edge of the square. The Herrenstraße is the main shopping street of the town. At the northern edge of the square, where the Hohensteiner Straße branches off in a north-westerly direction, a Deutsche Bank building stands as a corner structure – a fitting, representative conclusion to the façade of the square.
