Chemnitz has a rare double town hall which consists of the Old Town Hall and the New Town Hall. The Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) was built at the end of the 15th century and has been redesigned numerous times over the centuries. At the base of the building’s tower is a striking Renaissance portal with half-figures depicting Judith and Lucretia.
The New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) was built at the beginning of the 20th century according to plans by the city’s official architect Richard Möbius. It ties in perfectly with the Old Town Hall. Since 1978, the carillon has been housed in the tower of the New Town Hall. The façade of the New Town Hall is adorned with the city’s coat of arms and a 5-metre-high statue of Roland. The building’s interior is primarily characterised by the Art Nouveau style, with Max Klinger’s famous mural Arbeit-Wohlstand-Schönheit displayed inside the city council chamber.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.