55 Years of City Hall

Most people go there only to register after moving, to apply for an ID card, because they want to get married, or because they urgently need help in a social emergency. We’re talking about Germany’s city halls.

Erlangen has three of them—not counting those in formerly independent districts. All three were extensively renovated between 1989 and 2010 and successfully repurposed for their current roles as a city museum, library, and art gallery. Town halls are, in a sense, the secular heart of cities and towns—the power centers of local life—and at the same time the number one service provider for every citizen, from birth to the very end of their life. And not only that.

Yet most people lack a direct connection to this institution—theirs—from which, as the saying goes, one emerges wiser than when one entered. Shouldn’t that be an incentive to take a closer look at what’s actually going on there?

City Hall in the fall of 2025 (Photo: City Hall Press Office)
However, things aren’t always as dramatic as they were in April 1945, when Erlangen’s Mayor Herbert Ohly and Wehrmacht Lieutenant Colonel Werner Lorleberg wrangled over the surrender of the city without a fight to the advancing U.S. Army—a decision that was fortunately made in the end, preventing the destruction of the Baroque planned city.

But time and again, fundamental decisions turn a city hall into a treasure trove of local history—such as through the founding of the Bergkirchweih festival (Old Town City Hall), the city’s expansion resolutions during the Weimar Republic and in the 1960s (Stutterheim Palace), or through political declarations such as the “definition” of Erlangen as an eco-capital or medical capital (New City Hall).

The wedding room on the 1st floor (Photo: Registry Office)

Time and again, it becomes clear: city halls are the home of the res publica, the community. The largest of them are therefore awe-inspiring architectural expressions of the claim to power by a self-assured citizenry—in the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Lübeck, for example, veritable palaces attest to this attitude. But even if they are not gems of the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, or Neoclassical styles, they still embody civic pride and a community’s sense of identity—just like the current Erlangen City Hall.

Jo Kaeser, former CEO of Siemens, in the council chamber in 2013 (Photo: Press Office)

Especially following the renovation completed a few years ago by Nuremberg architect Wolfgang Loebermann, it stands more than ever for clarity, objectivity, and transparency in administrative actions and local politics. Simply put, it’s a (modern) image of a city hall.

Text: Peter Gertenbach
former head of the city’s press office

Germany, 1971: The signing of the transit traffic agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and the former GDR was the big topic of the day. This agreement made it easier for West German citizens to travel to the former GDR.

Erlangen, 1971: The move into the new city hall on Rathausplatz—which remains the administrative center of the Huguenot city to this day—was the main focus. The move took place in two phases: The first employees moved into the new building between May 27 and August 13, 1971, with the rest following in February 1973. Since then, City Hall has been the first port of call for accessing essential municipal services.

Initial Plans in 1960

Why was a new city hall built? As Erlangen’s population grew rapidly after World War II, so did the city administration. The Palais Stutterheim—which had served as the city hall until 1971 and had already been expanded with numerous additions—was increasingly reaching its capacity limits. Consequently, starting in 1960 under Mayor Dr. Heinrich Lades, plans were developed that envisioned the new city hall as part of a new administrative and business center at what would later become the Neuer Markt: featuring a civic center, a hotel (convention center), two shopping centers, and a parking garage.

Then-Mayor Heinrich Lades at City Hall in October 1971 (Photo: City Archives)

The building was constructed in two phases, between August 1969 and August 1971 and between April 1971 and February 1973, respectively—under the direction of Hans-Georg Schulz, who served as the city’s building commissioner at the time. Incidentally, he also played a key role in the design of the Neuer Markt. In terms of its appearance, the completed city hall—into which Dr. Dietmar Hahlwegein moved as the new mayor in the spring of 1972, a position he held for 24 years—with its angular, unadorned concrete-and-glass structure—was entirely in keeping with the functional architecture of the early 1970s.

The town hall plaza, which spans a good 11,000 square meters and features seating areas, green spaces, and a playground, has been home to the city administration since 1971

Increase in the Number of Employees

It is not easy to determine the trend in the number of employees with offices and desks in City Hall, as there have always been branch offices such as schools, daycare centers, the Schuhstraße administrative building, the old City Hall in the Palais Stutterheim, the adult education center, recreational facilities, and many more.

It is clear, however, that as the scope of responsibilities has grown, so too has the number of employees. Here are two figures:

• In the 1970s, the number was 868
• As of December 31, 2025, it stood at 3,333 (see the personnel report from the meeting of the General, Finance, and Personnel Committee on July 22, 2026).

Today: the welcome desk at the Office of Immigration and Naturalization on the second floor (Photo: Daniel Löb)

The mayor: He is the head of the city administration and thus the leader of a large administrative apparatus. In the 55 years that City Hall on Rathausplatz has served as the seat of government, there have been five mayors.

The mayors at a glance:

Karl Heinrich Lades:
He was elected mayor in 1959. He was re-elected in the 1965 and 1971 elections. Under his leadership, the city moved to its current city hall in 1971. Lades died on August 4, 1990.

Dietmar Hahlweg:
Due to the regional reform, a new election for mayor became necessary in 1972. Dietmar Hahlweg was elected to the office for the first time. He was re-elected in the following three local elections. In 1996, he did not run for re-election.

Siegfried Balleis:
He was first elected mayor in the 1996 local election. He was re-elected in 2002 and 2008. In 2014, Balleis lost to his challenger, Florian Janik, in a runoff election.

Florian Janik:
In March 2014, the Erlangen native defeated Siegfried Balleis in a runoff election. Six years later, he was re-elected, again in a runoff. In the March 2026 runoff, Janik lost to the current mayor, Jörg Volleth.

Jörg Volleth:
Jörg Volleth has been mayor since May 1, 2026. On March 22, 2026, he defeated incumbent Florian Janik in a runoff election. Volleth’s current term runs through April 30, 2032.

Jörg Volleth at the constituent city council meeting on May 12, 2026 (Photo: Kurt Fuchs)

City Hall in April 2002 (Photo: Press Office)

On October 6, 1971, City Hall and the Heinrich-Lades-Halle were inaugurated as part of the shopping, administrative, and convention center designed by Nuremberg architect Harald Loebermann. There have been other city halls in the city’s history:

In a charter dated July 7, 1398, King Wenceslaus granted Erlangen the town charter of Auerbach and at the same time approved the construction of a “department store.” The ground floor was to house the meat and bread stalls—that is, the bakers’ and butchers’ sales stands—with the town hall located above them. It likely stood on the site of today’s City Museum. During the Thirty Years’ War, most of the small town—including the town hall—was completely destroyed in 1632. It was not until 50 years later that a new building was erected.

Even before the building that now houses the City Museum was erected, there was a town hall on the Old Town Market (today’s Martin-Luther-Platz). The first one, likely built at the beginning of the 15th century, fell victim to the destruction of the town during the Thirty Years’ War. It was not rebuilt until 1680. As with the previous building, the basement housed the stalls of the bakers and butchers (the so-called “meat and bread benches”). However, the new building was not destined to last long. On August 14, 1706—a Saturday—at 4:00 p.m., a fire broke out between the Goldene Krone and Rotes Ross inns when a spark from a defective chimney set a hay cart ablaze. In a panic, the oxen pulling the hay cart ran into a barn already packed with straw and hay, and disaster ensued. Along with the Old Town Church and City Hall, 50 buildings fell victim to the flames. Medieval Erlangen was destroyed.

On August 14, 1706, a fire broke out between the “Rotes Roß” and “Goldene Krone” inns, resulting in the almost complete destruction of medieval Erlangen. The Old Town City Hall, located at the northwest corner of Martin-Luther-Platz, also had to be rebuilt. But 27 years would pass before that happened. Initially, the “Zum Goldenen Engel” inn was built on the site of today’s City Museum. Demolished in the early 1730s, it eventually made way for the stately building that still stands there today, which has served a variety of purposes. The ground floor housed the city weigh station, while the first floor contained the council chambers. Goods could be stored in the courtyard, and the fire department had its equipment shed there. It ceased to function as a town hall in 1812, when the town halls of Old Town and New Town were merged. Over the next 150-plus years, the building served numerous purposes (including as a toll booth, a pawnshop, a community center, and a Siemens office) until it finally became the home of the City Museum in 1963.

The former Old Town City Hall on Martin-Luther-Platz around 1915 (Photo: StadtAE XIII.6.Y.26/City Archives)

With the founding of Erlangen’s Neustadt through the settlement of Huguenots beginning in 1686, the structure of the “double city”—each with its own independent administration—emerged and lasted until 1812. In the New Town, the construction of residential buildings took precedence for many years, so the municipal council likely met initially in the homes of its individual members. After the administration was briefly housed in the basement of the Palais Stutterheim between 1737 and 1740, the city council and citizens purchased the corner building at Hauptstraße 30 from Christian-Erlang. The ground floor housed the guardroom for the main and university guards, while council meetings were held on the first floor. A new town hall originally planned for the neighboring lot remained unfinished. Until 1836, the building was owned by the city and served, with few interruptions, as the Neustadt town hall. Today, the building houses a jewelry store; the address is Schloßplatz 7.

With the end of Napoleonic rule in 1810, Erlangen, along with the Principality of Bayreuth, became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria, and in 1812, Old Town and New Town were united into a single city. While administration was initially handled by a state police commissioner, a city magistrate was established in 1818. After temporary locations in the Orangery, the old university building (part of the Ritterakademie), and a brief return to Hauptstraße 30, the city moved into the stately Palais Stutterheim in 1836. Built in 1728 by Christian Hieronymus von Stutterheim, the aristocratic palace had passed into the ownership of Court Councilor Johann Gottfried Groß in 1755 and, following the castle fire of 1814–1817, served as the residence of the Margrave’s widow, Sophie Caroline Marie. After the city purchased the building, it was expanded in two phases and served as the seat of the city administration until the move to the current City Hall in 1971. In November 1938, it became the scene of the Nazis’ persecution of Jews when, during Kristallnacht, Jewish women, men, and children from Erlangen, Forth, and Baiersdorf were placed in “protective custody” and forced to stand in the inner courtyard for hours while the SA destroyed and looted their homes and businesses.

After 1945, Erlangen’s population grew rapidly, and the city expanded primarily to the south. The Stutterheim Palace, although expanded through numerous additions, had reached the limits of its capacity as city hall. Beginning in 1960, it was therefore decided to create the “Neuer Platz” south of the historic city center and to build a new administrative and business center there. The project, designed by architect Harald Loebermann, included not only department stores, a hotel, a civic center, and other facilities but also what is now Erlangen’s sixth city hall. It was built in two construction phases between 1969 and 1973 and, upon completion, fully embodied the functional architecture of the 1970s.

Heinrich-Lades-Halle today (Photo: Detlev Overmann)

In the early 2000s, extensive renovation work became necessary; this was not only due to material fatigue in the concrete facade but was primarily intended to improve fire safety measures. In September 2006, the comprehensive renovation was officially completed. Even though the services most important to citizens are still centered at Rathausplatz 1 and the city leadership is based here, the city administration—with its approximately 2,300 employees—has long since outgrown these boundaries and is now spread across many locations.

Text: City Archives