Ständehaus der Provinz Sachsen, Cultural heritage monument and convention center in Merseburg, Germany.
The Ständehaus is an administrative and events venue in Merseburg featuring notable architectural details from its original construction period. The main hall showcases a coffered ceiling and large-scale wall paintings created by artist Hugo Vogel.
The provincial parliament of Saxony met from 1825 in the Schlosspark salon, from 1835 in the Zechsches Palais. After disputes from 1875 over moving to Halle or Magdeburg, the new building by Franz Schwechten was begun on 7 September 1892 on land given by the city; the provincial committee first met there on 24 April 1895. It served the provincial parliament until 1933, and in early September 1945 the land reform law was drafted there under Walter Ulbricht.
The building's name comes from the Stände, the provincial estates that met here. From the late 1940s to the early 1990s it served as a "Haus der Kultur", housing a library, cinema, theatre, clubs, discotheques, a museum and a music school. A small exhibition on the ground floor traces this history.
The Standesamt (registry office) of Merseburg is housed in the building, and a small exhibition on the ground floor covers its history. The granite fountain in front of the south side, built in 1895 and restored in 2003, has an inner diameter of 4.2 metres. The house stands directly beside Merseburg Cathedral and the castle, so it is easily combined with a visit to both.
The granite fountain in front of the south side was built in 1895, has an inner diameter of 4.2 metres and was last restored in 2003. Its plain design contrasts with the historicist parliament building behind it.
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