14 The Ratshof

The new city hall, built 1928-29 in a sober yet monumental style, was conceived, on account of otherwise lack of space and the desire to centralize the administration as much as possible in one place, as extension to the Old

Rathaus. After this latter fell victim to bombing during the War, the Ratshof headquartered the city administration. To the right of the main entrance is to be seen the city's escutcheon as designed by Richard Horn in 1951. The life of the city - industry, the river Saale, commerce, the water meadows and mining - is depicted at the corner of the building where Leipziger Strasse begins by 2.2 metre high bronze statues, authentic copies, dating from 1993, of the originals by Gustav Weidanz melted down during the Second World War.