The Town Hall

The classicist Town Hall is one of Debrecen’s most characteristic buildings. Its predecessor was built in 1531 and housed the aldermen of the town. It was under repair for centuries until in 1802 the building’s fate fell into worthy hands: Mihály Pécsi made the first draft designs but there was not enough money for their implementation.The work of another architect, Ferenc Povolny, was not accomplished in its original form either and in the end the plans of the engineer József Ságody, a further development of Povolny’s work, were accepted. The keys of the tympanum- and arcaded- style building were handed over to the town in 1843. In 1849 Lajos Kossuth lived here with his family and the National Defence Committee Office was housed here, too. The Hungarian Holy Crown was kept in the ’secret muniment room’. True to the puritan taste of Classicism only one ornament, the town’s coat of arms embellishes the tympanum.

By 1888 the town had outgrown the one-storey Town Hall. There was a need for a completely new building, but due to lack of funds the building was only reconstructed. Thus a simplified access board was built, the open arcade was given walls and windows and was joined with an outside gallery to the neighbouring building, which operated as a tax office at the time. That is why it was called the Bridge of Sighs. The building today still operates as the Town Hall. From the 16th century onwards this building was the heart of Debrecen.
The magistrature, which was led by the chief justice, had great power and decided over life and death. As a devoted follower of Calvinistic values, the chief justice was a watchdog of the family life of the city’s residents. Strong measures were also introduced to reduce the risk of fire, and in this way Debrecen was able to keep its role as a communications hub between the different parts of the divided country.

Forrás: www.debrecen.hu