Goslar Town Hall & World Heritage visitor centre

Goslar’s historic town hall stands on the west side of the market square, at the heart of an old town that, together with the Rammelsberg mine, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. The 3D tour lets you explore the town hall virtually.

Its history goes back further than long assumed: after the town acquired the rights of the imperial bailiff in 1290, the town hall was built from 1293 on the foundations of older market halls; the timber barrel vault of its council chamber has been dated by tree-ring analysis to around 1295. The core building was completed around 1326 with the Ratsdiele, the great hall above open market arcades. Around 1430 the market front received late Gothic ornamental gables; its present look, with pointed-arch windows, comes from a Gothic Revival remodelling in 1894–1896.

After several years of restoration, the town hall reopened in April 2022. The council once again meets in the Ratsdiele, and the tourist information office has moved in. In the vaults of the former town hall cellar, the World Heritage visitor centre explains the site’s three components: the old town, the Rammelsberg and the Upper Harz Water Management System. The building works turned up crossbow bolts from the 14th or 15th century.