The Old Town Hall stands on the east side of the Markt in Leipzig's Mitte district. It is considered one of Germany's most important secular Renaissance buildings. The town hall is first mentioned in a document in 1360. In 1556 and 1557 the mayor and merchant Hieronymus Lotter rebuilt it, giving it most of its current exterior in the Saxon Renaissance style. Paul Speck was the first site manager and is probably the designer, followed by Paul Widemann.
The building is about 93 meters long and 20.6 meters wide, with a tower about 41 meters tall. It has a steep roof, high gables and an octagonal stair tower. Air raids destroyed the roof in 1943, and reconstruction ran from 1946 to 1950.
The council chamber holds the only authentic portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Leipzig City History Museum reopened in the building in 1952.
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