Town Hall under the Protection of a Snake
The Town Hall is one of the most beautiful historic buildings in Rostock. This is the clearest example of brick Gothic style, prevalent in northern Germany, Poland and the Baltic countries. The first two houses, which became the basis for the Town Hall, were built between 1270 and 1290. Later another building was added. The three buildings were united with a common roof, which is crowned by seven narrow Gothic towers.
As it often happened in the medieval cities, the Town Hall performed many different functions: besides housing the local government, it played the role of a market, a banquet hall and a warehouse for the storage of wine and beer. A bronze snake figurine is attached to the base of one of the columns at the entrance to the Town Hall. According to local legend, the inhabitants of the medieval Rostock, fearing enemy infiltrators, checked with its help all the shady characters, who wanted to enter the city. To prove that they were not infiltrators, visitors had to specify the snake’s place. The figurine was repeatedly stolen, and the latest version was installed in 1998.
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