Old City Hall, Gothic town hall in Weißenburg, Germany

The Altes Rathaus is a three-storey building of sandstone ashlars with a steep roof, built in Gothic style between 1470 and 1476. Its richly articulated east gable is carefully worked, and at ground-floor level a grimacing head and a figure shaped like a mythical beast are carved into the stone. The central axis is reinforced by a bevelled, slightly projecting pier ending in an octagonal turret; the entrance was moved to the north side when the archive tower was added in 1567.

The Old City Hall was built between 1470 and 1476, at the height of Weißenburg's prosperity as an imperial city. A Söller (open gallery) was added in 1545 and the archive tower in 1567. Demolition was planned in 1805 but never carried out, and further conversion plans from the mid-19th century were also abandoned. The building was extensively restored in 1963–64 and again in 2002–04; it has housed the Weißenburg council library until the 1970s and is no longer open to the public.

The building's name Altes Rathaus, or reichsstädtisches Rathaus, recalls its role as the council house of the imperial city of Weißenburg. The first floor's festival and reception hall carries a reconstructed Renaissance stone-block painting, and the second floor held the historic meeting room used by the Inner and Outer Council. The Schweppermannsbrunnen fountain of the 16th century stands directly in front of the building.

The building is no longer open to the public, so visits are limited to the exterior. From the Marktplatz you can see the richly articulated east gable, the octagonal turret on the central axis and, at ground-floor level, a grimacing head and a fabulous-creature figure. The Schweppermannsbrunnen of the 16th century stands directly in front of the facade.

The entrance originally faced the market square but was moved to the north side when the archive tower was built in 1567. At ground level, look for a grimacing face and a figure shaped like a mythical beast carved into the sandstone. The east gable is richly articulated, and the central axis is reinforced by a chamfered, slightly projecting pier topped with an octagonal turret.