Town Hall of Benfeld

The Town hall of Benfeld is a Renaissance city hall in Benfeld, a small town of the Bas-Rhin department of France. It is classified as a Monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1929, in particular because of its 17th-century automaton clock.[1]

Town hall of Benfeld
hôtel de ville de Benfeld
The town hall in 2014
Former namesRathaus Benfeld
Alternative namesLaube
General information
TypeCity hall
Architectural styleRenaissance architecture
ClassificationMonument historique
Address1, place de la République
67230 Benfeld
Town or cityBenfeld
CountryFrance
Coordinates48.3691°N 7.59498°E / 48.3691; 7.59498
Construction started1531
Completed1619
Renovated1865
Technical details
Floor count4
Design and construction
Architect(s)Ascagne Albertini

History and description

Also known as Laube (short for German: Gerichtslaube, medieval arcade-covered courthouse, see Gerichtslaube), the city hall's core building was the place where the Schultheiß passed judgment. This part of the town hall (1531) is built in the traditional timber framing style of Alsace, with the conspicuous arcades at the ground floor. In 1619, a clock tower featuring an ornate main portal and three jacquemarts was added by Ascagne Albertini, lord of Ichtratzheim, bailiff of Benfeld, and military engineer. The three statues are the work of the Strasbourg sculptor Johann Fröbe; they are made of oak and represent Prudence (in the shape of Leopold V, Archduke of Austria dressed as a soldier and holding a halberd), Death (with an hourglass and a scythe), and Justice (in the shape of a Schultheiß with a stick and a full purse). The three clock faces indicate the Paris time (main clockface), the Strasbourg time (smaller clock face below) and the lunar phases (above the main clock face).[2] Those two latter faces were added in 1856 by master clockmaker Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué.[3]

  • The clocktower
    The clocktower
  • Main portal with dates "1619", ANNO DOMINI MDCXIX (1619), and "Renov. A. D. 1865"
    Main portal with dates "1619", ANNO DOMINI MDCXIX (1619), and "Renov. A. D. 1865"
  • Clocks with jacquemart
    Clocks with jacquemart
  • Lateral view of the town hall through Rue Clemenceau
    Lateral view of the town hall through Rue Clemenceau

References
  1. Base Mérimée: Hôtel de ville, Benfeld, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. "Le Jacquemart, Benfeld" (PDF). Office de tourisme du Grand Ried. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. "Benfeld (Bas-Rhin - France)". patrimoine-horloge.fr. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
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