There is a strange little bell hanging next to one of the windows on the first floor, on the right side of the building, overlooking the courtyard of the town hall. Its purpose is not widely known nowadays since it has been out of use for a long time. The little bell served the purpose of warning city representatives that the break between the general meetings was over; it was time to return to their duties in the general assembly.

Several former mayors’ painted portraits hang from the walls of the council chamber, also called the Mayors’ Room, next to the current mayor’s office space. One of them depicts Mayor János Réh, who was the city’s ‘first man’ between 1867 and 1871. Since he never let himself photographed during his lifetime, upon his death, his family had him photographed dressed in decorative clothing. Based on the photograph his portrait was painted 10 years later by Ferenc Tóth Molnár. The death portrait was disliked by many, among them his own family members, thus the painter had to repaint his eyes to make them ‘live’. 

Much renowned Hungarian writer Kálmán Mikszáth, as a young journalist of the local newspaper Heti Napló, had frequently been reporting on the state of River Tisza until it flooded the whole city on the eve of 12 March 1879. He learned the news that the Great Flood hit the town while he was staying in the General Assembly Hall. He walked over to the first floor of the house next door, the so-called Zsótér House, from where he gave a dramatic description of how the gas lights of the General Assembly Hall went out and at the same time the whole city turned into complete darkness as the devastating flood entered the downtown area which then washed away almost the entire Szeged.

A teacher’s assembly took place on 7 May 1919 in the General Assembly hall at the time of the city’s French military occupation. Gyula Juhász attended the meeting to report for the local newspaper Délmagyarország about the speeches held against those teachers who took part in the revolutionary acts of 1918-1919. Juhász, the well-known and famous poet, tried to protect and speak for one of his accused friends. In return, he received cussing and was pushed out of the room with force onto the hallway.

In the General Assembly Hall, a large painting depicts Ferenc Deák, Hungarian Minister of Justice (1848). Its painter, Fülöp László, moved to London in 1907 and later became a successful and famous portrait painter of the British royal family as well as in the circles of international aristocracy. He painted the first portrait of 7-year-old Princess Elizabeth of York in 1933, who was later crowned Queen Elizabeth II.

The first modern town hall of the free royal city of Szeged was designed by a military engineer, with its main facade facing today's Kiss Ernő Street. The rapidly developing city quickly outgrew its old building, thus, the city council built the predecessor of today's town hall in 1801, which István Vedres designed. The left wing of the building was constructed to be used for theatre performances, and plays were regularly held here until 1847. The building's most prominent event was when the Hungarian Parliament met in its council chamber in July 1849. The Tisza River, which hit Szeged on 12 March 1879, also severely damaged the town hall, thus, in 1881, the city council issued a tender for the reconstruction of the old building in a modern form, yet resembling its predecessor’s style. Among the applications received, the design of architects Ödön Lechner and Gyula Pártos won the first prize and, thus, the commission. The construction work began in May 1882, and the ceremonial handover of the building took place on the first day of the three-day royal visit that started on the 14th of October 1883. This third town hall of the city has been one of the defining and representative centers of Szeged ever since.

Above the gate of the building overlooking the four streets, atlases support the arched balcony with stone railings. Above the overhanging balcony, on the arch rising above the prominent cornice, a phoenix symbolizing the city's resurrection and a coat of arms with children's figures holding it, can be seen. In front of the ground floor, overlooking Széchenyi Square, are ten red marble chain-bearing columns holding a wrought-iron railing chain. On both sides of the city coat of arms above the main gate of the Fekete Sas street facade, there are statues of children sitting with swords and bundles of canes in their hands. Similarly to the old town hall, the roofs are covered with glazed tiles, which are the products of the famous Zsolnay factory. An essential room in today's town hall for many Szeged residents is the marriage hall on the ‘high ground floor’, which has been in function since 1968.

Stairs with marble railings lead from the main gate to the main stairwell; on the wall opposite the reception is a commemorative plaque for Szeged civil servants who died heroically in World War I. The Baroque chimneys and a lovely relic of the past, a bell hanging next to one of the windows on the first floor, which was once used to warn city representatives resting in the courtyard during the breaks of the general meetings, are best seen from the intimate courtyard decorated with two marble fountains. The inner courtyard, which has excellent acoustics, has been the venue for cultural events in the summer for decades.

Three colourful stained glass windows of the main staircase, leading to the general assembly hall, depict the Old Town Hall, the present one and the city’s coat of arms. The two-story meeting hall with galleries on each side, can accommodate nearly 200 people. The elevated platform of the city council leaders is opposite the main entrance of the hall; in a semicircle divided into two sections, are the benches of the municipality's representatives. Above the main entrance of the grand assembly hall, the royal box was created in which once Emperor Franz Joseph I was seated. In the corners of the ceiling fresco created by Zsigmond Vajda, female figures symbolizing the four most important pillars of the city's life are depicted, while in the center, winged putti raise the city coat of arms surrounded by clouds. On both sides of the main entrance, there are full-body portraits of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Queen Elizabeth, and on the side walls under the gallery are Count István Széchenyi, Ferenc Deák, Count Gyula Andrássy and Lajos Kossuth. The grand hall is also the meeting room of the current general assembly, where the representative body meets six times a year. It is also the venue of many festive events.

The renovated council chamber rooms on the right and left side of the general assembly hall were named after Lajos Lechner, the chief engineer who planned the new city after the Great Flood of 1879, and Lajos Tisza, the government commissioner for reconstruction. The theme of the paintings in the Lajos Lechner room next to the chief of administration’s office is the Great Flood, while in the Lajos Tisza room next to the mayor's office space, one can see the portraits of several former mayors from the end of the 18th century until 2002. The largest painting depicts Mayor Ferenc Pálfy, who led the city for over 32 years.

At the left end of the corridor leading in front of the general assembly hall, is the mayor's cabinet and office, while on the right side of the corridor are the offices of the chief of administration and one of her deputies. The general public can visit the mayor's room twice a year. On 21 May on Szeged’s Day, and in mid-September, at the town hall program of the national series of events called Cultural Heritage Days. At this time, the symbolic key of the city of Szeged and the mayor's decorative festive chain are also displayed.

Adjacent to the town hall is the building of the Mayor's Office, completed in 1872, which also served as a suite for ruler Franz Joseph I and his courtiers, who visited Szeged during the King's Days of 14-16 October 1883. To make the king's movement easier, architect Ödön Lechner connected the two buildings with a bridge modeled after the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. Photographs taken of the Great Flood of 1879 by Lipót Lauscher can be seen on both sides of the staircase leading from the town hall to the bridge.

The tower is the most picturesque and characteristic element of the building, it is equipped with a walkable balcony with stone railing and a clock; its top is decorated with vases, marbles and gargoyles with dragonheads. Its decoration is the 25-quintal bell of the previous town hall tower, made in 1832, with the names of the city officials on it. Since 2004, various blocks of music can be heard from the tower before every hour.