Ernst Gisel, Rathaus Fellbach

Ernst Gisel’s town hall for Fellbach is one of the very few buildings that make one enthuse about the town. Like Stirling’s Neue Staatsgalerie it invites you to linger – even without a reason: in the Stuttgart museum you are attracted by terraces, ramps and an open rotunda, whereas in the Fellbach building there is a sense of a strong suction that will draw the public into the inner courtyard of the complex. ›A bit Italian‹ – this is what Gisel himself says about the atmosphere there, and he is right. The urban quality of the new town hall corresponds with the

quality of the detailed architectural solutions and the care with which Gisel devoted himself to the architectural design in the interior.

Christian Marquart studied political sciences, sociology and history and then worked in the field of urban research and urban planning. He is one of the leading German architecture and design critics.