The town hall in Nowe Warpno
Dated to the late 17th century, the town hall in Nowe Warpno is a unique Pomeranian half-timbered building used by local authorities. It is a landmark of the market square and one of the oldest monuments of Nowe Warpno (together with a church). It determines the value of the old town buildings complex. In 2012, the town hall in Nowe Warpno was distinguished in the “Zabytek Zadbany (Well-Protected Monument)” competition held by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
The object has been recorded in the Registry of Cultural Property, No.: A-424 / 1956 r.
Keywords: town hall, half-timbered construction, oak wood, brick
Location
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The town hall is located in the centre of the old town, in the middle of the market square (present plac Zwyciętwa). In front of the facade (the southern elevation, neighbouring with ulica Kościuszki), there are impressive linden trees.
History
The half-timbered town hall was built in years 1696 – 1697 and replaced an old, Gothic one, which was destroyed by numerous fires in the 16th and the 17th centuries. In late 19th century, renovation works were performed in the interior and at the half-timbered elevations. At the beginning of the 20th century, the main body was annexed with a half-timbered fire station with three gates for fire engines. In the 1960s, the annex was adapted to the needs of the municipal office.
Before 1945, the town hall housed collections of vessels and other historical exhibits associated with the local guilds. After the war, they were dispersed. The renovations of the object were done in years 1965 – 1968 and in the late 1990s. In 2011, the town hall was subjected to thorough renovation and conservation works. The object is still used with accordance to its original purpose.
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Description
The half-timbered town hall in Nowe Warpno originally had a rectangular layout. A quadrangular tower is set in the main body at the west. Later, the main body was widened at the north, in result of the construction of the fire station, which presently is connected with the rest of the building. The main entrance (at the south) leads to a large hallway with a single staircase in a corner.
The building is irregular, with a high, two-storey main body. It is covered with a gable roof. Lower, side parts have separate ones. The whole object is dominated by a four-storey tower, crowned with a tall, Baroque roof lantern of an octagonal base, with a pinnacle and a weathervane. The roof of the former fire station is accented with a ridge turret, the form of which refers to the main tower.
The wall framing is made of oak wood with brick infill (which at the turn of the 19th and the 20th centuries replaced the original one). The original half-timbered construction of the lower level of the fire station walls has been bricked up and plastered.
The elevations have regular, square divisions separated by posts and beams, the colours of which contrast with white infill. Diagonal braces, which support the construction, have been placed in the gable walls and (K-shaped) in the central parts of the eastern wall of the main body. The ends of the roof beams of the ground floor have been covered with wood panels.
In the central-lower part of the main body, there is an original, large front hallway, connected with side office rooms and a conference hall. The historical furnishing has not survived. The remaining interiors have been re-arranged, in particular, in the former fire station, the gates of which have been bricked up.
Photogrammetry
The following Virtual and Augmented Reality "Model 3D - The town hall in Nowe Warpno" presentation uses external Sketchfab portal and is approximately 260MB in size.
An alternative description of "Model 3D - The town hall in Nowe Warpno": A building composed of numerous sections of various heights. Sloping roofs with a tall tower. Noticeable chessboard-like structure.
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Sources
- Bibliography:
- J. Kochanowska, Perły Pomorza, Szczecin 2011, s. 100;
- W. Łopuch, Nowe Warpno i okolice, Szczecin 2010;
- J. Pilch, S. Kowalski, Leksykon zabytków architektury Pomorza Zachodniego i ziemi lubuskiej, Warszawa 2012, s. 127;
- Karta ewidencyjna zabytku architektury i budownictwa, Ratusz. Nowe Warpno, oprac. C. Nowakowski, 2000, archiwum WUOZ w Szczecinie;
- Photographs and illustrations by:
- Zdjęcia archiwalne (photographs No. 1 – 4) z publikacji: W. Łopuch, Nowe Warpno i okolice. Neuwarp und Umgebung, Szczecin 2010, s. 140, 143, 201, 294;
- Archiwum WUOZ o. Szczecin – W. Wojtkiewicz (photograph No. 5), autor nieznany (photographs No. 6 and 7);
- W. Witek (photographs No. 8 – 12 and 17);
- Biuro Dokumentacji Zabytków – K. Tymbarski (photographs No. 14 – 16 and figures No. 18 - 28);