The town hall in Speyer on Maximilianstraße
History
Since 1960, the town hall in Speyer has been the seat of the city administration and the mayor. After a year of construction, the prestigious building was occupied in 1903 and initially served as the headquarters of the Insurance Institution for the Palatinate, from which the Rhineland-Palatinate State Insurance Institution (LVA) emerged in 1947.
The town hall is located opposite Speyer Cathedral at the entrance to Maximilianstraße. Before it was built, the ‘Frey estate, formerly Trutzpfaff’ was demolished for this purpose. Franz Schöberl was commissioned as the architect for the new administrative building. Construction began in 1902 and the building was ready for use on 1 October 1903.
In mid-1955, the then LVA Rhineland-Palatinate decided to construct a new administrative building with a high-rise on the outskirts of Speyer. The move took place at the beginning of 1960. At that time, the administrative building at Maximilianstraße 100 was transferred to the city of Speyer. It is thus the second town hall of the city of Speyer, alongside the historic town hall.
Architecture
The neo-baroque administrative building has three floors, which initially housed meeting rooms, filing rooms and offices for the insurance company and the arbitration court located there. The entrance portal on Maximilianstraße features Palatia as a niche figure and bore the Bavarian coat of arms until the Second World War.
The façade is richly decorated with ornaments, with the central part of the building and the third floor set back. This design is in keeping with the Viennese aristocratic palaces of the neo-baroque period. The allegorical figures on pedestals on the third floor represent youth and diligence, industry, agriculture and farming, and old age. They were made from French Savonnières limestone by the sculptor Gustav Adolf Bernd. The mansard hipped roof is topped with a gable and balcony facing the cathedral, emphasising the building’s representative effect.
Maximilianstraße
Maximilianstraße is the main shopping street in Speyer and the former boulevard, Via Triumphalis, of the old imperial city. It was laid out in the 11th century in connection with the construction of the cathedral and the subsequent first expansion of the city. Since that time, it has been the main street of Speyer and is still called that by the population today. It runs in an east-west direction between the cathedral and Altpörtel.
Until the end of the 18th century, it was the only street in Speyer that was referred to as a ‘street’ – otherwise there were only alleys. It was not until 1816, when the Palatinate became part of Bavaria, that it was renamed Maximilianstraße after King Max I Joseph.
An unfinished view of the part of Maximilianstraße in Speyer adjacent to the town hall is attached as a preview. If you are interested, this can be further edited.
