Rathaus Soest, Baroque town hall in Soest, Germany.
Rathaus Soest is an administrative building with a baroque facade that extends around an inner courtyard with four wings. The west side displays nine arches with a statue of St. Patroclus above the main entrance.
The oldest parts date to around 1200, while the baroque addition was built between 1713 and 1718. This expansion happened during a period when the city faced economic difficulties.
The Blue Hall behind the arcades is the heart of the town hall and hosts concerts, weddings, and city festivals today. You sense here the place's importance to the community's public life.
The building is easily accessible from outside and the arcades on the west side provide covered passage in bad weather. The inner courtyard is a pleasant area to explore the different wings when the weather is good.
Konrad Duden, the reformer of German spelling, taught in parts of the building when they still functioned as a gymnasium. This connection makes the town hall an unexpected part of German language history.
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