Bochum City Hall

The first town halls of the city of Bochum were located at the Old Market. The third town hall was built in 1696, roughly where the statue of the cowherd stands today. After two interim solutions from 1862 to 1886, the city administration settled in the former Hotel Soedinger Hof on Alleestraße. The town hall was expanded in 1894 with an extension and a large meeting room. As the population of the industrial city rapidly grew, especially following the incorporation of additional areas in 1904, the space soon became too small again. A first architectural competition for the construction of a suitable town hall took place in 1912-1913, but did not lead to further execution. The plans for new construction were initially postponed due to the First World War, before a new architectural competition was announced in 1925. However, even after this renewed competition, none of the prize winners could take on the execution of the town hall. Nevertheless, the need for a new town hall became more urgent than ever. Therefore, in 1926, with the aim of achieving timeless architecture, Karl Roth, who had already designed the town halls in Dresden, Kassel, and Barmen, was commissioned to create a new design.

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