Town hall

Since 1854, the town hall of Vohenstrauß has been located here. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, it became clear that the existing town hall no longer met the needs of the municipality. In 1908, the Vohenstrauß municipal council decided to demolish the old building and construct a new one in its place. As early as 1906, there were repeated public calls for Vohenstrauß to seek reinstatement as a town. One of the prerequisites for this status was the construction of a larger, new town hall. After two years of construction, the new town hall was completed on May 19, 1911. To keep costs down, decorative elements were to be largely avoided. Nevertheless, a large bay window was built on the first floor, along with a town hall clock and a large city coat of arms. A wall fountain made of polished Treuchtlingen marble with a pebble mosaic covering was installed on the first floor. Valuable tiled stoves (in Renaissance style) were added to the two council chambers. At that time, the savings bank was a municipal institution. Therefore, necessary rooms for the savings bank were incorporated on the first floor of the new town hall, where it remained from 1911 to 1935. Additionally, rooms were also designated for a police station and a weights and measures inspector. From 1911 to 1935, the post office was also housed on the ground floor of the town hall. When the post office moved out in 1935, the freed space was taken over by the AOK health insurance. The notary’s office, which had been in Vohenstrauß since 1862, was also located on the second floor of the town hall from 1911 to 1970. At times, the public health office, the military registration office, and the local history museum were also located in the building. Mosaic Window on the Ground Floor: Every visitor to the town hall is greeted by an artistic mosaic window. This was installed during the 1976 renovation of the town hall, in an existing archway on the side opposite the main entrance. The mosaic panes surround the city’s coat of arms and depict symbols of the local industries of the time. The window was designed by the Weiden artist Hans Friedrich. The mosaic symbolically shows workers at the Seltmann porcelain factory, as well as a glassblower and a glass ball maker above them. In the lower left, female workers of the Grundig company, which operated until 1986, can be seen assembling radios. Above them, a large pair of scissors and a sewing machine point to the clothing manufacturer Hölzl GmbH & Co. Coat of Arms: The coat of arms features an ostrich holding a golden horseshoe in its beak, being leapt at by a red fox. The ostrich and the fox symbolize the name “Vohenstrauß”: “Vohe” means vixen (female fox). The horseshoe represents the once highly important ironworking industry in the region.