page_title: Großbottwar
section_title: Arts and culture
hierarchical_section_title: Großbottwar / Arts and culture
caption_attribution_description: Česky: Radnice v Großbottwaru v Bádensku-Württembersku Deutsch: Das Rathaus von Großbottwar, Baden-Württemberg. English: The town hall of Großbottwar, Baden-Württemberg. Español: El ayuntamiento de Großbottwar, Baden-Württemberg. Français&#160;: L'hôtel de ville de Großbottwar, dans le Bade-Wurtemberg.
context_page_description: Großbottwar is a town in the Ludwigsburg district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It sits within the Neckar River basin and is located on a tourist route through the Württemberg wine region. The Großbottwar region has been inhabited since at least the Stone Age and was occupied by the Romans. The town itself was founded sometime during the mid-13th century by an alliance of prominent families. In 1971, Großbottwar incorporated the formerly independent communities of Hof und Lembach and Winzerhausen.
  Unlike most towns in the region, Großbottwar was neither heavily damaged by war nor by urban fires, so there are many old buildings from the 15th through the 17th centuries with original and well-preserved timber framing. The 16th century Rathaus, or town hall, is noted for its half-timber construction and decoratively carved façade. The Stadtschänke, approximately dated to 1434, is the oldest half-timber building in the Ludwigsburg district.
context_section_description: Großbottwar is situated on the Württemberg Weinstraße, or wine road, a tourist route through the Württemberg wine region.  The old town is well preserved, as it has been fortunate to have largely escaped damage from war and fire.  Many half-timbered buildings from the 15th to the 17th centuries are still intact, as is some of the original mediaeval wall that once stood around the town, although large sections of it were torn down between 1820 and 1837.
  The landmark of the town is the historic Rathaus, or town hall, built in 1553, with gabling completed in 1556.  It features elaborate timber framing with a clock, sundial, and carved stork on the façade.  The wooden stork is jointed at the neck and nods its head when the clock strikes the hour.  The inventor Philipp Matthäus Hahn built the clock in 1776.  Originally, the ground floor of the town hall was open and contained the city bakery.    The next floor up was a dance workshop and banquet hall, and the floor above was a court room.  It is likely that a fountain stood outside the hall since the founding of the town.  The fountain was renovated in 1774, but the standing lion put in place was made of sandstone and weathered quickly.  The sandstone was replaced in 1873 with cast iron lions.  Renovations to the fountain were again needed in 1930, and the lions were replaced by a figure of a sower.
  Another fine half-timbered building of the town is Stadtschänke ("City Tavern"), which was probably built in 1434 and features long walls which would have been expensive and complicated to build.  Stadtschänke is the oldest half-timbered building in the Ludwigsburg district and houses a restaurant and bed and breakfast business.
caption: Town hall of Großbottwar, dating from 1556/57 and showing timber framing which has also been preserved in several other houses in the old town.
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