Hamburg’s City Hall is one of the main attractions. It is called Rathaus and is also the name of the surrounding area which is the main square of Hamburg. You can reach it with all four metro lines in the city. The old city hall was one of the buildings that was destroyed in the great fire in the 19th-century.
The newly restored building is huge, you can easily find it because the 112-metre-tall tower can be seen from far away. Along with four churches in Hamburg this tower is one of the most important landmarks of the city. On the middle tower under the large clock the phoenix sculpture commemorates the great fire of 1842 and it is meant to show how the city could rise from its ashes after the great fire. The 28-character bust sculptures, each placed on one of the windows, represent the important civil professions of the port city. There is a fisherman, a skipper, a merchant, a shoemaker, a baker, a farmer and many more.
The building combines Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque architectural styles to resemble a castle, and it was meant to represent the city’s wealth and independence. It is beautiful and majestic from the outside and it has many interesting artworks from different eras on the inside, for example the paintings by Hugo Vogel in the big ballroom or the sculptures representing Justice and Grace by August Vogel. The inner courtyard of the city hall with the central Hygieia fountain is architecturally one of the most sophisticated squares in the city.
It’s one of the most popular meeting points and it is the busiest part of the city.