The first town hall was built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The relic of the Merchants' Tower in the center of the Ring dates from this period. A new Renaissance-style building was begun in 1524 based on designs by Hans Lindner. The architectural style was influenced by the Görlitz master builder Wendel Roskopf. The building also housed the town scales. The 35 x 45 m Citizens' Hall, the assembly hall on the ground floor and upper floors, and a large hall with a music gallery met the representative needs of Lauban, a town rich in cloth-making and trade.
The building was expanded between 1551 and 1581. The town hall was originally more richly decorated, but after city fires in 1554, 1659, 1670, and 1760, it was rebuilt in a simplified form. The interior retains its ornate vaulted ribs.
The clock tower was begun in 1620 and completed in 1688 with a three-pierced Baroque-style spire.
Renovations took place in the mid-19th century. The spire burned down in 1929 and was rebuilt in concrete according to a design by Berlin architect Hans Poelzig. After being destroyed at the end of World War II in 1945, the town hall was reconstructed in the 1950s and 1970/1971, and its interior was restored in keeping with its style, including vaulted ceilings.
(Wikipedia)