Town Hall in Sławno

The town hall in Sławno is the former county office building (German: Kreishaus), built in 1905-1907 to a design by the architect Eduard Koch of Słupsk. It is Neo-Baroque and is among the most imposing buildings in the town. Today it houses the Town Office and the Municipal Office.

Construction of the county office

The application for a new seat for the county authorities was submitted by the county commission in 1904. The foundation stone was laid on 16 June 1905, and on 8 January 1906 the first ceremonial session was held in the new assembly hall. Until 1945 the building was the county office. After the entry of Soviet troops it housed the Soviet commandant's office, and then the county, town and municipal authorities worked here.

Architecture

The building has an L-shaped plan. The plinth was built of natural boulders in shades of grey, pink and blue, and the brick walls were plastered and decorated with stucco. The roof is mansard, and the main body is crowned by an octagonal tower with a small gallery and an onion-shaped spire. The heritage register confirms the brick material and the Neo-Baroque style.

Interiors

The building is one of the few in the town to have survived the Second World War with its original decoration: doors, fittings, wall and floor tiles and the balustrades of the staircases. In the assembly hall the stained-glass windows show the coats of arms of Sławno, Darłowo, Polanów and Sianów and of the Pomeranian Junker families, and the hall has preserved the panelling from the years of construction. In the attic there are three original winches for lowering heavy chandeliers. Since 2003 the building has housed the gallery "W Ratuszu" ("In the Town Hall"), in which graphic works, especially ex libris, are shown.

Nearby stands the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and by Wojska Polskiego Avenue lies the Polish Military Organisation Park.

Practical information

• Address: Aleja Wojska Polskiego 2a, Sławno.
• The building is a working office. The rules of entry to the interiors and the opening hours of the "W Ratuszu" gallery are given by the town office.
• The building is entered in the heritage register.