It blew and thundered

During over 670 years of history of the Town Hall Tower in Świdnica numerous times the atmospheric factors blew off elements of its equipment. In the chronicles there are numerous notes being the evidence of „flying” figures, flags and other small elements.

In the night between 22^nd and 23^rd January 1559 a huge wind tore off the flag and „cockerel” figure from the spire as well as small figure of angel - protecting the town – which was placed on the balustrade of the tower. The elements fell down on stalls and drapers' halls situated under the tower concurrently making small damages.

On the 18^th July 1577, undoubtedly under the influence of atmospheric factors, the statue of the Czech king Jan Luksemburski situated on the tower cracked concurrently falling down on the courtyard of the then mayor Martin Friese.

In the same year in the night between the 5^th and 6^th November the next figure, this time figure of one of the princes, fell off from the body of the tower concurrently falling down on the roof of one of the stalls. As chroniclers inform „it burst apart into eighteen pieces and while falling inside it made terrible damage”.

The elements of decorative stonework of the tower must not have been in an ideal condition seeing that two years later, on the 11^th November 1579, a column constituting its basis fell off from under the next figure.

The chroniclers annotate the results of successive gale under the 10^th November 1582 when a large element of decorative, steel and gilded grating tore off from the upper part of the lantern (headroom of the tower's cupola).

On the 28^th December 1612 the winter gale this time tore off a decorative star from the spire of the cupola and on the 2^nd January 1855 – again due to strong wind – a flag with the image of the Prussian eagle fell down. Earlier, in 1642 a figure, which according to the chronicler was supposed to commemorate the greedy councillor stealing money from the town hall with the assistance of trained jackdaw, fell down. The head of the figure in question was embedded into the town hall's vestibule where you can find it today. In the memoirs of the sculptor, August Gottfried Hoffmann, translated by the historian of Świdnica Sobiesław Nowotny we can find notes from the 21^st January 1737 and 30^th January 1740 referring to large elements of sculptured stonework which strong gales tore off from the body of the tower.

Source: Marek Furmankiewicz - „Historia i plany odbudowy wieży ratuszowej”, „Rocznik Świdnicki 1998”, Heinrich Schubert „Szkice z historii miasta Świdnicy”, Sobiesław Nowotny „Pamiętnik Augusta Gottfrieda Hoffmanna”.