Description of the attraction
The Rollett Museum in the Old Town Hall is located in the Austrian city of Baden, on the opposite bank of the Schwechat River from the spa park. It is located at the same distance - about one and a half kilometers - both from the main train station and from the Kurpark itself.
Interesting is not only the museum itself, but also the building in which it is located. The Old Town Hall of the city of Baden was built in 1905 in the architectural style of the German Neo-Renaissance prevalent at that time. It is a massive four-storey building with an outstanding triangular façade with a sloping roof with mansards. Of particular interest is the fact that on each floor all windows differ in their shape. The architectural ensemble is complemented by a graceful tower with a dial, topped with a dome.
It's funny, but the town hall was almost never used for its intended purpose, since already in 1912 a museum was built here, which was closed during the Second World War. Then the building was badly damaged, and therefore large-scale restoration work was carried out in 1957-1958. Then the museum continued its activities. It should be noted that in addition to the Rolletta Museum, the Old Town Hall also houses the city archive.
The museum in the Old Town Hall tells the story of the city's history dating back to prehistoric times. Most of the exhibits were donated to the museum by the renowned physician Georg Anton Rollett, a native of Baden, after whom the museum got its name. Its collection is dedicated to botany, zoology, archeology, ethnography, medicine and mineralogy, and also included a huge herbarium. The most interesting museum exhibits are included in the collection of the famous physician Franz Josef Gall, the founder of phrenology. There are busts, skulls, wax figures, posthumous and lifetime masks of many famous people, including Napoleon Bonaparte himself.
