The Town Hall of the City of Thiene is located in Piazza Arturo Ferrarin, no. 1 in Thiene.
The Town Hall of Thiene was inaugurated in 1888 and originally included the premises of both the male and female elementary schools. The decorative apparatus of the façade is typical of the late nineteenth century, with full arch windows, molded cornices, and string courses; the coat of arms of the Municipality of Thiene is placed above the central body.
The local historian Alessandro Giongo writes: “the grand building (…). It was very well designed in terms of its shape and the internal arrangement of the premises, providing all hygienic opportunities according to modern needs, so that it is a decoration for the town and honors the architect, Mr. Riccardo Ortelli.” It remained the site of the elementary schools until 1932, when the classes were transferred to the newly built “Scalcerle” Schools complex.
Before 1890, the entire area now occupied by the building and the adjacent garden, which features the Fountain of Bacchus and Ariadne, consisted of cultivated fields, with an access road running along the walls of the Thiene Castle.
The land, owned by the Colleoni family, was ceded by the Municipality from Count Guardino. To the right of the Town Hall stands a large Renaissance door, recently restored: it was once the entrance to the park owned by the Colleoni family.
During the Great War, the palace was the headquarters of the Fifth Army Corps, which remained there until 1917, when it was replaced by the Tenth Corps, where, according to historical sources, Italian, French, and English generals gathered for their studies on the new war plan. King Vittorio Emanuele III also made several appearances, often visiting the battlefields to encourage the soldiers.
