In Commonwealth countries, the term 'town hall' may be used even in a city. City hall buildings may also serve as cultural icons that symbolize their cities. Īs symbols of local government, city and town halls have distinctive architecture, and the buildings may have great historical significance – for example the Guildhall, London.

In some European countries, the town hall is the venue for the declaration of Christmas Peace, such as Turku and Porvoo in Finland and Tartu in Estonia. Modern town halls or 'civic centres' are often designed with a great variety and flexibility of purpose in mind. These may include art shows, stage performances, exhibits and festivals. In many cases, 'town halls' serve not only as buildings for government functions, but also have facilities for various civic and cultural activities. The local government may endeavor to use the building to promote and enhance the quality of life of the community. The terms 'council chambers', 'municipal building' or variants may be used locally in preference to 'town hall' if no such large hall is present within the building.

This large chamber, the 'town hall' (and its later variant 'city hall') has become synonymous with the whole building, and with the administrative body housed in it. The hall may be used for council meetings and other significant events. It also usually functions as the base of the mayor of a city, town, borough, county or shire, and of the executive arm of the municipality (if one exists distinctly from the council).īy convention, until the middle of the 19th century, a single large open chamber (or 'hall') formed an integral part of the building housing the council.

It usually houses the city or town council, its associated departments, and their employees. In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. New York City Hall, the oldest continuous seat of local government in the United States, completed in 1812 Town hall, police, and fire station in South Palm Beach, Florida, United States 16th-century Fordwich Town Hall in Kent, England, closely resembling a market hall in its design The Sydney Town Hall, marking the Inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1901 13th-century Old Town Hall in Wrocław, Poland The Alsfeld town hall in Germany as an example of a half-timbered town hall from the transition from Gothic to Renaissance George Town City Hall, Penang, houses the office of Municipal Council of Penang Island in Malaysia Town hall of Recife, Brazil Stockholm City Hall, where the Nobel Banquet takes place on 10 December each year. For other uses, see City Hall (disambiguation) and Rathaus (disambiguation).

Medieval town hall interior