Old Town Hall, Former town hall in Brno, Czech Republic
The Old Town Hall stands on Radnická Street between Zelný trh and náměstí Svobody, not on the main square. Its 63-metre tower, raised by Pietro Gabri in 1577 and again in 1904–1905, has a gallery and corner turrets; the courtyard is lined with Renaissance arcades.
This building dates from the 13th century and served as Brno's main administrative center for centuries. Officials moved to another location in the 1930s, after which it became a historical landmark.
The late-Gothic entrance portal was carved by Anton Pilgram around 1510–1511, with five pinnacles and statues of councillors and shield-bearing guards. The middle pinnacle bends, which Brno legend explains as Pilgram's revenge for being underpaid. In the tower passage stand the Brno Wheel and the "Brno Dragon", a crocodile sent to the city in 1608.
A tourist information center operates on the ground floor, and exhibitions occupy the upper levels. Visitors planning to climb the tower should be prepared for a series of stairs to reach the viewing platform.
The crooked element is not on the tower top but on the entrance portal: its middle finial bends characteristically, said to be Anton Pilgram's revenge for the council paying him less than agreed. The portal carries five finials with statues, including a woman below the bent one and councillors and shield-bearing soldiers at lower levels.
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