The Butchers' Guild Hall in Hildesheim (Germany) is a half-timbered building originally built in 1529. Prior to WW2 officials, fearing that the building would be bombed, wanted to dismantle it but after finding this was not an option they took pictures and gypsoplasts of its complex sculptures to enable rebuilding in the event of its destruction. The construction plans were put in safekeeping.
Sadly, the Guild Hall was destroyed on March 22, 1945 and not rebuilt at that time. A hotel was built on the site in 1962-64 but it went bankrupt. The City decided to demolish the hotel and rebuild the original historic marketplace. Locals donated photos, drawings and money and it was rebuilt 1987-89. The total costs of reconstructing the Butcher's and Bakers' Guild Halls amounted to DM 13.6 million (€7 million).
Story via FB friend Chung Wong who posts all sorts of interesting stuff on his page.
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