The Tower Today

The building of the Town Hall Tower was designed as a 10-storey tower crowned with cupola and spire. The building in question was designed as a non-cellar, seated in the basement taking into consideration the Gothic arch of the old Town Hall Tower preserved.

Architects from Walas sp. z o.o. design office while designing the tower based on architectural and constructional stocktaking of 1955 the author of which was Edmund Małachowicz and it faithfully rendered the appearance of the tower from before the disaster. The design of new tower was conditioned by several significant aspects which, to some extent, determined the necessity of partial departure from proportions or dimensions of architectural and constructional stocktaking performed by Małachowicz in the 50s. One of such element was the applying of modern materials and constructional technologies. Construction of the tower was based on thin walls and reinforced concrete ceiling allowed for considerable increase of the usable area of premises inside the tower or even the assembly of the lift for tourists.

The design of new tower was based on regular square its size being 8,5x8,5 metre in the base of the tower's shaft. Proportions of elevation, location of its partitions, cornices, window openings, balustrades as well as the shape of the tower's cupola make the image of tower's outline in accordance with Małachowicz's architectural and constructional stocktaking of 1955. The facade stonework elements were designed while basing on this study, photographic documentation, residues from elements of stonework deposited in the collection of stone monuments of the Museum of Old Commerce in Świdnica as well as on the solutions of elements of stone decoration that can be found in the Town Hall Tower in Jawor.

The height of the Town Hall Tower in compliance with the design is precisely 57,63 metre. The height of the floor on the ceiling above the first storey „covering” the Gothic stone arch preserved after the old tower is 4,79 metre. While entering next storeys the heights are as follows:

2^nd storey - 8,77 m;

3^rd storey – 12,75 m;

4^th storey – 16.73 m;

5^th storey – 20,71 m;

6^th storey – 24,69 m; at the height of 5 m a square shaft is no longer seen and what can be seen is a regular octagon (its height being 13,16 m, four sides – width 2,99 m, two sides - width 3,96 m and two sides - width 3,75 m.

7^th storey – 28,67 m;

8^th storey – 32,65 m; the level of Gothic windows and a dial the centre axis of which is placed at the height of 34 m. The clockface, clock setting as well as nook of the clock face will be glazed in order to enable the implementation of landscape view on this storey. The dimensions of glazed surface are: 2,5x2,5 m. On the level of the terrace with glazed clock dials there can stay upto 40 people. They will be brought in by a lift which can at one time carry up to 13 people.

9^th storey – 38,01 m; the level of viewing terrace (37,97 m).

Ceiling above octogon and cupola of the tower (10^th storey) is situated at the height of 41,36 m. The cupola (its height being 16,27 m) has a steel structure covered with wood and metal plate (its thickness being 0,6 mm). On the cupola's spire there were assembled a copper sphere as well as a flag with the inscription „Świdnica 2012” and a star. Elements forming details of the cupola (balustrades) are also made of patinated copper metal plate just as all external windowsills, eaves, cornices and other sheet-metal treatment.

Walls of the tower are designed as reinforced concrete walls (their thickness being 20 cm), externally insulated with mineral wool (its thickness being 15 cm ) and plastered (mineral stucco, in-mass colour coated, in sandy colour). With regard to reinforced concrete structure of walls and ceilings no decision was made to secondarily place in the new structure sparse elements of old tower's stonework, which – together with other souvenirs of the building that collapsed – will systematically be displayed in exhibition rooms situated at the new premises.

The elements of facades, angles, gargoyles, pinnacles, cornices and balustrades are made of sand. The stone balustrade of viewing terrace (on reinforced concrete structure) is made of sand as well. The tower is equipped with air conditioning and ventilation system, not to mention fire protection systems. The building is seated on slab on grade and the latter is seated on foundation piles.

Vertical communication in the tower is provided by a lift which moves in the shaft (its external dimensions being 165x267 between the 2^nd and 8^th storey (the level of transparent clock dials).The level of viewing terrace can be reached using stairs. In the entire tower - between the 2^nd and 9^th storey – there are totally 169 of them.

The tower can perfectly be seen thanks to the illumination system prepared in cooperation with Philips Lighting Polska company. Apart from traditional illumination there is also assembled a modern system of projectors placed on the viewing terrace thanks to which it is possible to display moving pictures during events or other celebrations held in the town.

The essential determinant in the process of designing the tower was the necessity to maintain the Gothic arch in the basement which prevented it from situating here the entrance to it. In order to introduce the system of proper communication in the tower's building it was necessary to design the entrance pavilion. It is the three-storey entrance zone leading to the Town Hall Tower. The necessity of the existence of such a zone results from the fact that in the outline of the tower neither the staircase nor the lift could be situated on the ground level due to the fact that the entire outline was occupied with the Gothic arch preserved. The entrance building was situated along Wewnętrzna Street, in place of townhouses demolished in 1966. The entrance pavilion was designed as a three-storey cellar building, covered with gabled roof with its angle of depression consistent with angles of roofs on neighbouring buildings - the Municipal Theatre and the Museum of Old Commerce and covered with roofing tiles.

The structure of load-bearing walls is just as in case of the tower – reinforced concrete.

The height of the building is 14,80 m and reaches the third storey of the Town Hall Tower. However, it cannot be seen from the outside of Mid-Market block. In its base the building in question has the shape of rectangle (its size being 10,40x8,50 m).

In the entrance hall, on the ground level, Tourist Information Point with seats for tourists awaiting the sightseeing of the tower, is located. On the next two storeys, connecting the building of entrance pavilion with the tower, the building of the Museum of Old Commerce and Municipal Theatre exhibition areas were designed. In the pavilion there are rooms for lavatories, boxes with litter bins for companies which have their seats in the surrounding of the tower, customer visitor centre, rooms for historical exhibitions as well as approximately 150 metres of surface to be utilised on the 2^nd floor on which in the future a restaurant or cafe could be situated. Technical rooms are also situated in the basement of passage between the tower and the building of the Museum.

Vertical communication in the entrance building – staircase and lift which from the level of basement connected all storeys of the building bringing the tourists up to the 2^nd floor of the tower. The facade of entrance pavilion was made of natural sandstone plates in the colour corresponding with the colour scheme of the Town Hall Tower. Frontal facade and some lateral facades of the entrance building are - for the most part - glazed.

All usable floors of entrance building and the tower (up to the floor of clock dials – the 8^th storey) can be accessed by the disabled.

The restoration of the Town Hall Tower also comprised the management of the internal courtyard of Mid-Market block alongside with essential infrastructure as far as concerns connections. Arcade passage under the building of the Municipal Theatre towards the south part of Market Square was opened. The toplayer of courtyard (its surface being 450 m2) and collection of stone monuments (its surface being 152 m2) are made of natural stone with marking the partitions of functional and historical places such as former drapers' halls.

Source: Andrzej Dobkiewicz „Odbudowa wieży ratuszowej”, „Rocznik świdnicki 2011”.