The Council Hall
The Council Hall (German Rathaus), represents for the city of Brasov is an important historic monument which is impressive by its very architecture. Initially, the Council Hall was used as a surveillance tower.
The agreement between the Barsei Land District Assembly and the furriers' guild on 23 December 1420 involved the construction of the Council Hall (Casa Sfatului). The Turkish invasion in 1421 led to the devastation of an important part of the city and the arrest of the Brasov magistrate and the project was delayed. The Council Hall in Brasov is mentioned in 1503 with the name of “praetorium".
The building has undergone a lot of restorations due to the destruction because of the natural events:
• July 5, 1608 - a lightning struck the council House tower, the fire could not be extinguished until it was cast into the fire wine, vinegar and milk;
• June 17, 1662 - a strong earthquake devastated the Council House; two thirds of the tower collapsed;
• July 24, 1682 - a storm struck again the "trumpeters' tower" (named so because a trumpeter announced the passing of each hour);
• April 21,1689 - a fire caused by the Habsburg army that besieged the city destroyed much of the building.
In 1780 was finalized the reconstruction works of the Council Hall, after almost a hundred years from the last fire. Today the Council Hall has the form it had in the XVIII century.
The City Administration moved from this building in 1876. In the early twentieth century, was planned the demolition and replacement of the Council Hall with a modern administrative building. This was avoided only because a strong media campaign wanted to keep the old historic monument.
Between 1909-1910 there were made the las modifications of the building when the roof was changed to the current Baroque pyramidal roof with colored tiles. Starting with 1950 the Council Hall has been hosted the County History Museum.