Old City Hall

Anyone looking out over Menden’s market square will see a building that brings history to life: the Old City Hall. It was built in 1911 and 1912 according to the plans of Cologne’s government architect Carl Moritz—at a time when Menden was growing rapidly due to industrialization. A growing population, a booming economy, and an increasing number of administrative tasks made a new town hall necessary. In 1912, it was officially inaugurated by Mayor Dr. Ernst Overhues.

To this day, the striking building defines the cityscape. Here, Art Nouveau meets the clean lines of Reform architecture. Particularly striking is the round tower in the center of the building. Its slate-covered, decagonal dome is crowned by the Westphalian Horse—a true eye-catcher rising above the city’s rooftops.

The façade is also worth a closer look: On the market side, the town hall opens onto a colonnade of round-arched arcades. Natural stone pillars, a balcony, and cut stones made of Westerwald trachyte add distinctive accents.

Those who enter the building can still discover many traces of the era in which it was built. The curved artificial stone staircase in the elliptical stairwell, historic tile floors, doors, and windows have been preserved, as have numerous details in the former council chamber. There, wooden galleries, brass chandeliers, and some stained-glass windows serve as reminders of the time when important decisions for Menden were made here.

Today, the Old City Hall serves as the headquarters of the City of Menden’s Cultural Affairs Office. And so, this historic, protected building is more than just a piece of architectural history: it is a place where the past and the present meet—right in the heart of the city.