Umeå Town Hall

Umeå Town Hall
Umeå rådhus
The town hall photographed from Ume River.
General information
Status	Listed buildings in Sweden (since 26 January 1981)
Type	Town hall
Architectural style	Dutch Renaissance Revival architecture
Address	Rådhustorget
Town or city	Umeå
Country	Sweden
Coordinates	63°49′30″N 20°15′46″E / 63.82500°N 20.26278°E / 63.82500; 20.26278Coordinates: 63°49′30″N 20°15′46″E / 63.82500°N 20.26278°E / 63.82500; 20.26278
Completed	1890
Owner	Umeå kommun
Design and construction
Architect	Fredrik Olaus Lindström

Umeå Town Hall (Swedish: Umeå rådhus) was built after the fire in 1888 that burnt the city to the ground. It was erected on the site where the previous town hall (built in the 17th century) had been located and was completed in 1890. The architect was Fredrik Olaus Lindström from Stockholm. In the new urban area development plan Lindström gave the town hall a prominent location next to the river bank, with the main facade facing south over the harbour on the Ume River (which was still navigable at the time, providing the city's main point of access).

During the 17th century, Umeå only had a few public buildings; the church, the school and the town hall. The town hall was on the north of the Rådhustorget (the Town Hall Square), and housed the judiciary, the city administration and other common functions. The town hall was a single-storey building, equipped with three windows facing the square and with a high hipped gable roof topped with a roof lantern.

During the Great Northern War the town was completely burned down by the Russians several times, but after the peace in 1721 a new town hall was built at the north end of the Town Hall Square. The new town hall consisted of two floors with two wings and a small tower with a clock and striking clock. In the ground floor the city cellar was located, that is a tavern or restaurant, and a debtor's prison. Upstairs there was a ballroom and a smaller hall for meetings. The west wing had two rooms which served as teaching facilities.

A new and larger town hall with two floors was built in 1814 on the block north of the Town Hall Square with the main facade facing south. The building was designed by Samuel Enander who was an architect at the Överintendentsämbetet (Superintendent Board). In accordance with the Royal Building Regulation which came into force in 1776, public buildings had to be built in stone but Umeå was granted dispensation and the town hall was instead built of timber.