Dortmund - Altes Rathaus

With over 600,000 inhabitants Dortmund is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the ninth-largest city in Germany.

Dortmund tradition has attributed the city's founding to Charlemagne, even though this is ultimately not documented. Traces of such a castle—considered to have been founded by Charlemagne due to its typical square layout—can still be found today in Dortmund's city center. Since the "Hellweg" became the preferred travel route for kings between the West Frankish part of the empire and Saxon, it was necessary to establish palaces along the route. Its assumed that the city rose to become an important palace in Westphalia and the Hellweg region in the 10th century.

In 1152, a court assembly took place here under King Frederick Barbarossa. Craftsmen and traders settled and contributed to Dortmund's gradual development as a city. As early as 1200, the city was fortified with city walls. In 1232 a major city fire broke out. It destroyed the city almost completely. The fire also lost the city archives and with it all documents. The privileges, which had been lost in the city fire, were renewed in 1236 by Frederick II.

In 1293, the city was granted brewing rights, and an unprecedented development of the beer industry began within the city. The influence of Dortmund's citizens also grew. This citizenry or patriciate consisted of influential families with excellent trading relations throughout Europe. They were important in the Hanseatic League

In 1389, Dortmund survived the Great Dortmund Feud against the Count of Mark and the Archbishop of Cologne and their allies. However, the city's economic decline began. This process was continued and intensified by the Thirty Years' War, leading to the city's decline into a small farming town, with the population declining to 4,500 by 1793. In 1808, Dortmund, as part of the Napoleonic Grand Duchy of Berg, became the prefecture of the Ruhr Department. After the Prussian victory over Napoleon, Dortmund finally fell to the Prussian province of Westphalia in 1815.

Only with the onset of industrialization was the decline halted. From the mid-19th century onward, coal mining and steel processing led to Dortmund's renewed rise and its transformation into an industrial city. With the opening of the Cologne-Minden Railway in 1847, Dortmund became an important transportation hub in the Ruhr region. The opening of the Dortmund-Ems Canal and thus the port in 1899 made a further significant contribution to economic development. This infrastructure paved Dortmund's path to becoming a major city. The city grew beyond the narrow confines of the medieval ramparts.

In 1876, over 50,000 people lived in Dortmund; by 1929, their number had risen to over 530,000.

During WW II, the city was destroyed by a total of 105 air raids. During the major raid on March 12, 1945, over 4,800 tons of bombs hit the city. This attack was the heaviest bombing raid on a German city. 95% of the historic city center and 59% of the residential area were destroyed. According to contemporary reports, it was initially considered not to rebuild the city center. However, reconstruction progressed quickly and by 1950 the city had 500,000 inhabitants.

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Dortmund's Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) was built in 1899 in the Renaissance Revival style. After WW II, it was rebuilt in a simplified form. At the top of the gable is the eagle of Dortmund's city coat of arms. The facades are made of red sandstone, with plastered surfaces on the sides. The front features the coats of arms of the eight Hanseatic cities of Bremen, Hamburg, Cologne, Lippstadt, Lübeck, Münster, Osnabrück, and Soest.

Adjacent to the Old Town Hall are the Berswordt Hall, built in 2002, and the new Town Hall.