Description of the attraction
Penang City Hall is one of those beautiful buildings that make Penang the architectural pearl of Malaysia. Georgetown's urban landscape reflects over 170 years of British presence, as well as Chinese, Indian and local influences. Their combination, or rather a mixture, is the unique brand of the island.
The city's waterfront, Esplanade, is a parade of 19th century colonial government buildings. Among them, the snow-white facade of the majestic City Hall, built a little later, at the beginning of the last century, stands out. The Edwardian building blends in perfectly with a series of Victorian buildings serving as a reminder of the city's colonial past.
The town hall was built in 1903 as a municipality that gathered the offices of Penang officials over its roof. It became the first building to be equipped with electric lighting. In 1957, Georgetown was given the status of a city, and the Town Hall - the status of the mayor's office. Since 1976, the building has been the seat of the Penang Island Municipal Council. There are dozens of directorates, departments, councils and other bureaucratic structures of Penang in the Town Hall.
High narrow arches with typical English lathing, snow-white columns - everything in this two-story building recalls the strong British influence in the architecture of the island. At one time, the construction cost of the City Hall was estimated at one hundred thousand dollars. Nevertheless, after almost a hundred years of operation, the building required renovation. Fortunately, in 1999, the shooting of the famous film "Anna and the King" began on the island. Some of the episodes were filmed directly in front of the Town Hall building. Therefore, it was renovated, and now the famous landmark of the island appears before guests in all its splendor.
Although it houses official government structures, admission is free and sightseers at the Town Hall are frequent guests.
