The Haus zur Goldenen Waage was a medieval half-timbered house in the old town of Frankfurt am Main, which was destroyed in the air raid on March 22, 1944. Because of its high architectural and historic value, it was one of the most famous sights of the city. It was situated in front of the main entrance of the cathedral on the corner of the narrow Höllgasse, which leads from the cathedral square to the Römerberg and Altstadtgasse.
The detailed Renaissance facade dates from 1619. The remains of the house, which would have allowed reconstruction after the war, were eliminated in 1950. However, the archways remained preserved as part of a private library in Götzenhain. For more than 20 years the land was fallow. In 1972/73, during the construction of the subway station Dom / Römer, the Archaeological Garden was created. Therefore, excavations of the Roman settlement on the cathedral hill and the Carolingian Royal Palace Frankfurt were made accessible.
The detailed Renaissance facade dates from 1619. Although the house could have been reconstructed after the war, the ruined building was completely demolished in 1950. However, the archways have been preserved as part of a private library in Götzenhain. The site was untouched for over 20 years. Then in 1972/73, during the construction of the subway station Dom / Römer, the Archaeological Garden was created, allowing access to excavations of the Roman settlement on Cathedral hill and the Carolingian Royal Palace Frankfurt.
In 2007, reconstruction of parts of the former old town became part of the Dom-Römer Project, which included the rebuilding of the Goldenen Waage. Work did not start until 2014. During the reconstruction, the Archaeological Garden was covered over but remains accessible via the neighbouring townhouse on the market square.
In December 2017, the half-timbered facade, the Renaissance ceiling and the belvedere were completed.[1][2] There are plans to open the restored building to the public in 2019, along with a café and a local office of the Historical Museum.[3]
History edit
Prehistory edit
The house on the corner of Höllgasse was mentioned as early as the Middle Ages, in 1323, known as House Kulmann or Colmann after the owner.[4] In 1405, it became one building with the house behind it, the Alte Hölle (Old Hell). Around this time the name Höllgasse (Hell´s Lane) emerged, which described the densely built and extremely dark lane between the market square and Bendergasse, which was very narrow even for medieval times. There was also a house called Junge Hölle (Young Hell), located on the eastern side of Höllgasse, directly opposite Alte Hölle (Old Hell). Most of the houses on this side of the street were built with overhangs, which meant the first floor was on the property of the cathedral - much to the annoyance of the cathedral administration. The first legal case was recorded in 1299, when the goldsmith Colmann came into conflict with the clergy because his house was located on the eastern side of Höllgasse.[5]
The Goldene Waage under Abraham van Hamel edit
The corner house Goldene Waage, as well as the Alte Hölle was bought by Andreas Gaßmann for 3,040 and 2,000 Guilders respectively in 1588. The confectioner and spice trader Abraham van Hamel bought the buildings from Maria Margarethe Gaßmann in 1605. Hamel came from Tournai in the Spanish Netherlands. As a member of the Continental Reformed Church and a religious refugee he travelled through Sittard near Aachen and Wesel in 1599 and arrived in Frankfurt, where his father and brother had already taken up citizenship. Despite some opposition from the guilds he was permitted to take the citizen's oath on 19 November 1599.[5]
From 1618 to 1619, he ordered the four-storeyed front-facing house on his property to be torn down and replaced it with an elaborately designed new house. His project came in for intense resistance from the council and begrudging neighbors. The public display of prosperity was frowned upon in Frankfurt, which the owner of the similarly elaborately ornamented Salzhaus had experienced. Hamel was a provocative man who reached his goals most of the time, sometimes even by ruthless means – either by using his assets or by filing a lawsuit. However, his readiness to take legal action quickly caused him to be considered an outcast by the citizens of Frankfurt, who soon claimed that "he had to quarrel with everyone, which would justify a special council of Schepen to deal with his actions."[6]
The dispute concerning the construction of the Goldene Waage was documented in the city archives.
In February, 1618 Hamel first asked for permission to tear down his run down house to replace it with a new four-storeyed building consisting of a ground floor and three upper floors. Even though Hamel promised to abide by the laws and regulations, including to not build above the neighbor's property, thereby not "allowing navigation caused by narrowing of alleyways and other nuisances and drawbacks". The construction of the house, according to Hamel, would have led to "quite some wealth, adornment and a good reputation" and was not permitted. The neighbors, who were all well established families of merchants and patricians from Frankfurt, objected the tall construction which, according to them, would have restricted the narrow alleyway's exposure to light and air and increased the danger of fire. They grudged the foreigner the construction. A written document states: "because of justice and appropriateness, a Dutchman, who is predestined to seek his own advantages, should not be favoured over other long standing and local citizens."
Hamel countered that for his business the acquisition of more space was very important due to the expensive property at the market forcing him to build up to the same height to use the house to its full extent. During this time the market constituted the main shopping street, comparable to the current Zeil street in Frankfurt. Hamel lost the trial and therefore the Goldene Waage only became a three story building, contrary to the original planing.
At the beginning of Juli 1618, a neighbor filed another complaint against the construction when the ground floor and the timber-framework had already been completed. An inspection by the Schöffen (judiciary executives) came to the conclusion that the ground floor was one Schuh ( literally shoe - about 28,5 cm) too high compared to the blueprints provided by Hamel. Due to this the planning permission was almost denied, but although as so often before Hamel used his wealth to get his way. He paid a fine of 100 Reichstalern for another infringement of the blueprints consisting of a speed-up of the construction to finish the house in time for the autumn fair in 1618 and was "left to it".
Nevertheless, the house was not finished by the autumn fair in 1618 because the locksmith Jacob Reynold, who created the latticework between the vaulted passages and the skylights of the ground floor, delivered so late that the house was not ready for over a year and could finally only be finished in 1619. This cost Hamel a lot of money because he had to rent several houses for his family and goods in the meantime. When the latticework was finished he sued the blacksmith because the latticework was not the same as that of the counsellor Johann Martin Hecker, as Hamel desired. Instead, according to Hamel, Reynold had "overloaded the grid with many excessive rings - which were not originally intended - in such a way that noticeable demage would inevitably be caused through the lack of light" and furthermore "the rods so thickness should be more than enough to lock up a prisoner". He refused an evaluation of the situation by the jury of craftsmen from the outset because he believed them to be prejudiced. Thus, the locksmith received no judgement and Hamel filed another lawsuit before the local court (Schöffengericht). This time he won by submitting a declaration signed by all other workers participating in the construction, according to which he had "with benevolence and good will, paid and pleased them without any argument or misunderstanding".
Even though Hamel was a confectioner, he mostly traded with spices and dyes, which is documented by a petition by the city council which elevated him to a "trader" in 1619. Due to his extensive trade relations to the whole middle Rhine area, parts of northern Germany, but also in his homeland, he soon earned a fortune, which greatly exceeded the usual wealth of rich merchants in Frankfurt. At the time of his death on 19th January 1623 he already owned the complete western part of Hell's Lane and the bordering house of Wolkenburg (Krautmarkt 7) which was situated at the Krautmarkt (herb market).[5]
From the era of Hamel to the purchase of the city edit
It was now the turn of Hamels widow and one of his younger brothers to keep on networking. This was nearly impossible due to the beginning of the Thirty Years' War. From 1631 to 1635 Frankfurt was partly occupied by Swedish soldiers. The complaints of the war reached the city, that was filled with refugees, too: From 1634 to 1636 almost 14,000 people died during the years of the Plague.During peacful times Frankfurt had around 15,000 inhabitants, of whom many were refugees. The first three years of the pest (1634-1636) took 14,000 peoples' lives in Frankfurt. Wide parts of the population were experiencing extreme poverty and famine due to the highest inflation in history. When Widow Hamel died on July 25 1655, her outstanding debts were as high as 60,000 Gulden and her real estate properties were highly indebted too. As a consequence of these high debts, her heirs sold the Haus zur Goldenen Waage and the Alte Hölle for 8,500 Gulden to a tradesman from Frankfurt called Wilhelm Sonnemann. The owners changed many times over the next few centuries: 1655-1699 it belonged to the Barckhausen family, 1699-1748 to the Grimmeisen merchants and from 1748-1862 to Von der Lahr family. Before it was bought in 1898 by the city of Frankfurt for 98,000 Mark, it was owned by the families Osterrieth and Scheld'
The Goldene Waage in the 20th century edit
The building was completely renovated starting in 1899 by the builder Franz von Hoven. In the 19th century the plaster and the slates were removed to make the old timber framing visible. Dividing walls that had been added later inside were demolished. A few years later, the buildings to the east of the narrow Höllgasse were knocked down to make the Domplatz bigger, so the Haus zur Goldenen Waage could now be seen more easily. In 1913 the city of Frankfurt gifted the historical museum with the building. In 1928 the Historical Museum furnished the house in the style of a typical townhouse in Frankfurt around the 18th century. The 18th century was chosen because the latest major extensions were made during this time. Also, the inventory was still original since the death of Hamel. It was common for the court to note down the furniture of every wealthy citizen after their death. After her death in 1635 the inventory of Hamel's wife was officially recorded. At the time, the inventory was officially recorded, the inheritance had already been split (as was the custom). Hence, it reflects almost exactly the furnishings of the house when Hamel died. This made it possible for the museum to equip the rooms original. The first airstrikes that hit Frankfurt up to 1942 did not do much damage however the Union of Old Town Frankfurt decided to keep a written record with photos of the whole existing building stock from summer 1942 onwards. With the beginning of the Combined Bomber Offensive in 1943 Frankfurt became a target for airstrikes. The Haus zur Goldenen Waage remained undamaged at first, even though the attacks from October 4th 1943, January 29th 1944 and March 18th 1944 damaged big parts of the surrounding area. All parts of the old town between Frankfurt Cathedral and Römer including the Haus zur Goldenen Waage were destroyed during the airstrike on 22nd March 1944 .The house collapsed to its sandstone pedestal because the beautiful timber frame was burning. The loss of many works of art, that were integrated into the building and historically and materially irreplaceable e.g. the complex ceilings of the different rooms or the tile stove on the first floor was exceptionally tragic. major artworks exhibited by the museum survived the war without any damage because they were brought to other places before the attacks. A simplified reconstruction of the building (similar to the reconstruction of the Salzhaus) would have been possible because of the existing inventory and the intact foundation walls but the city removed the ruins completely until 1950. The arcades of the Goldene Waage were sold to a private investor from Götzenhain, who built himself a private library for his villa. The reconstruction of the old town went on from 1952 to 1960. Modern functional and residential buildings with new floorplan sand traffic routes were produced. The area between Frankfurt Cathedral and Römer was left out and stayed a waste land until the 1970s. Excavations in the 1950s found a lot of evidence of Roman, Merovingian, Karolingian and late medieval buildings in the area.
Reconstruction edit
At the beginning of the 21st century, the city started planning the future design of the old town area by the cathedral, later known as the Dom-Römer Project. In 2005 - more than 60 years after the destruction of the old town - both the inhabitants and the city council had a preference for the most exact possible restoration of the historical site with alleys, squares and courtyards, as well as the reconstruction of individual houses significant for town-planning.[7] In a newspaper interview, Mayor Petra Roth suggested the reconstruction of four historically significant buildings, including the Goldene Waage.
In order to evaluate the technical possibilities of the reconstruction, the city set up a project to document the old town in 2006.[8] The study found that none of the buildings could be historically reconstructed, not even the particularly well-documented Goldene Waage. A creative reconstruction, "in which the street facade and the basic layout in particular could be rebuilt and possibly extended," seemed possible. The historical city plan could only be partially reconstructed; in particular, because the house by the cathedral, the Goldene Waage, could no longer be rebuilt on its original site. In order to keep the excavations of the archaeological garden accessible, a superstructure was to be built, in which larger struts had to be incorporated. Further research was necessary to establish, for example, whether the historical level of the streets and ground floors could be maintained. The current building regulations had to be observed for each reconstruction, especially with regard to fire protection, energy efficiency and the possibility of safe escape routes. Stairwells had to be fire-proof and made of non-flammable materials.
Den Auftrag zur Rekonstruktion der Goldenen Waage erhielt das Büro Jourdan & Müller. Im Süden schließt die neue Goldene Waage nun an das Stadthaus[9] an, im Westen an das Haus Weißer Bock (Markt 7),[10] beides zeitgenössische Entwürfe.
On September 6, 2007, the city council decided[11] to rebuild the Dom-Römer area. The CDU, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, FDP and Freien Wählern (free voters) voted for this, the SPD and Die Linke against. The reconstruction of at least seven buildings, including the Goldene Waage[12] was included in this decision.
The Jourdan & Müller office was offered the contract to reconstruct the Goldene Waage. The new Goldene Waage now connects to the townhouse to the south[13], and the Haus Weißer Bock to the west (Market 7)[14], both of which are contemporary designs.
Construction began in 2014. A specialist company in Lemgo was hired for the reconstruction of the half-timbered facade, for which around 100 cubic meters of old oak from historic buildings was reused.[15] More than a dozen spolia were found in the rubble and reused.[16]
In December 2017, the facade of the new building (der äußerlich fertiggestellte Neubau) was completed, including the restored half-timbered facade, the Renaissance ceiling and the Belvedere, and presented at a press conference.[17] In September 2018, the New Frankfurt Old Town was inaugurated with a two-day festival, although the interior of the Goldene Waage was not yet completed. The café on the ground floor opened in September 2019. The Historical Museum is still to be set up on the two upper floors.
Architecture edit
Outside edit
Judging by its outward appearance, the Goldene Waage appeared to be a typical renaissance building in Frankfurt's historic city center: a tall foundation made of red sandstone that outwardly showed intricate, richly decorated arcades – four of which pointed towards Hell's Lane (Höllgasse), two towards the market. The arcades were based on widely overhanging imposts; the keystones depicted lions' heads. The front door, which was decorated by a double lintel, was located between the two arcades facing the market. While the upper one was connected to the (extended) column shafts of the arcades, the lower formed almost a straight line. It's keystone displayed the coat-of-arms of Abraham van Hamel and his wife Anna van Lith (as can be seen in the photograph). The arms of alliance coat-of-arms consisted of two men's shields directly next to each other. The right-hand shield displayed a vertical arrow with a barbed hook and three horizontal lines over the shaft. The arrow ended between two ovals, which formed the letter A(braham) with their curves and one linking line. The letters V(on) and H(amel) could be seen in the ovals themselves. The left shield displayed three stoat's tails in the lower two thirds and the letters A(nna) V(an) L(ith) in the upper area. The helmet crest was a guardian ram (German: Hammel), undoubtedly a reference to the name of the builder.
Taking early seventeenth century conditions into account, the construction was a masterpiece of structural engineering of both the material and the construction: the open-worked arcades on the ground floor were not suitable as load bearing elements. However, this was intentional, as it provided plenty of room on the ground floor to display the goods on sale. Thus, the Goldene Waage was essentially a house built upon pillars, but only the reinforced pillar at the north-eastern edge could be seen from outside. The remaining seven pillars on the ground floor provided structural analysis of the building and were located between the arcades. However, the pillars were so well incorporated into the arcades they seemed rather to be decorative elements. The corbels, which were located below the impost block of the shaft, had been carefully designed by the stonemason: on the biggest corbel at the noth-western corner a crouching man surrounded by flowers was depicted (as can be seen in the image), the remaining seven corbels alternated between the depiction of a man's and a woman's head (as can be seen in the image). Only the stone on the outermost (most western from the top) side facing the market was particularly special in its own right, depicting a ram's head – whether this could be seen as a reference to the name Hamel (similar to Hammel, German for ram), has never been resolved. The name of the stonemason also remains unknown.
However, the name of the leading bricklayer during the construction is well-known (Wolf Burckhardt[5]), as well as the name of the man who was responsible for the wrought iron grid between the circular arches and the skylights - locksmith Jacob Reynold[6]. He was responsible for the wrought iron latticework between the circular arches and the skylights.
Above the kontor rooms there was a low intermediate storey on the level of the ground floor called the Bobbelage. The intermediate storey was used as a storage room for the kontor below, which was used as a salesroom. It was lit through the skylights in the arcade windows.
Above the ground floor there were two cantilevering half-timber framed floors, their gable side facing the market with two gable floors above. However, in comparison to the first floor the second floor protruded only on the side facing the market. The eastern side, facing the cathedral, displayed a very delicate design of the timber framing, which formed a pattern of saltires. The timber framing could be compared to the design at Schwarzer Stern, which had been built at Römerberg shortly before. In contrast to the Goldene Waage the Schwarzer Stern was rebuilt in the 1980s after its destruction in World War II. The timber frame of the upper floors also showed almost continuous rows of narrow windows on all sides. On the first floor there were eleven windows to the eastern side, six to the northern. On the second floor there were twelve windows to the eastern and four to the northern side. The glazing was completed around 1750.[5]
The crossing pier, which was statically important for the timber frame, was entirely decorated with grand carvings (as can be seen in the image): Patriarch Abraham was depicted on the bottom alongside a ram with golden scales above. At the bottom of the girder a metal arm was attatched to the building, holding golden scales. The name of the house seems to be derived from this object. The arm was located above the front door until 1899 and originates from the times when houses needed a clear, visual identifier due to the lack of house numbering. The scales that had been attatched after the renovation was a detailed replica, while the original, which was exposed to the weather for nearly 400 years, was exhibited in the Museum for City History within the house.
The market-facing, northwestern corner pillar of the upper floors was as elaborately carved as its counterpart facing the cathedral square; however, this was mostly lost under the shadow of the overhangs of the neighboring house Weisser Bock (white buck) (house address: Market 7).
Finally, there was a wall dormer on the steeply sloping gable roof, typical of this type of houses covered with slate. The gable facing the market was curved in the typical renaissance fashion, which can also be seen on the stylistically related Salzhaus.
The names of the carpenters responsible for the construction were recorded: Friedrich Stammeler and Barthel Hilprecht, who probably also prepared the blueprints, even though this could never be proven. The roofer was called Niclaus Gebhard.[5]
- ^ „Goldene Waage“ wird vorgestellt: Altstadteröffnung im Plan, Focus, 13. Dezember 2017
- ^ Eine Renaissance-Decke von heute in FAZ vom 24. Februar 2017, Seite 35
- ^ Pressemeldung vom 16. November 2018 bei par.frankfurt.de, der früheren Website der Stadt Frankfurt am Main
- ^ Die Baudenkmäler von Frankfurt am Main. Bd. 3. Privatbauten. 1914, S. 109–122.
- ^ a b c d e f Führer durch die Goldene Wage 1935.
- ^ a b Der Erbauer der Goldenen Wage, Abraham von Hammel, und seine Hinterlassenschaft. In: Direktion des Historischen Museums der Stadt Frankfurt am Main (Hrsg.): Schriften des Historischen Museums. 1928, S. 62–84.
- ^ Wolfgang Klötzer (2005-10-14). "Dann stünde Stoltze wieder auf dem Hühnermarkt". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
- ^ Dietrich-Wilhelm Dreysse, Volkmar Hepp, Björn Wissenbach, Peter Bierling: Planung Bereich Dom – Römer. Dokumentation Altstadt. Stadtplanungsamt der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main 2006 (online; PDF; 14,8 MB)
- ^ "Stadthaus Frankfurt". Retrieved 2018-05-26.
- ^ "Haus Weißer Bock". Dom-Römer GmbH. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ^ "Wortprotokoll über die 15. Plenarsitzung der Stadtverordnetenversammlung am Donnerstag, dem 6. September 2007 (16.02 Uhr bis 22.30 Uhr)". PARLIS – Parlamentsinformationssystem der Stadtverordnetenversammlung Frankfurt am Main. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
- ^ Matthias Alexander (2007-05-07). "Sieben Altstadthäuser sollen rekonstruiert werden". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Archived from the original on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|url-status=ja(help) - ^ "Stadthaus Frankfurt". Retrieved 2018-05-26.
- ^ "Haus Weißer Bock". Dom-Römer GmbH. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ^ Baustellentagebuch der Fa. Kramp & Kramp
- ^ Rainer Schulze (2016-02-27). "Abraham und Anna sind zurück". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
- ^ Goldene Waage wird ein besonderes Highlight der neuen Frankfurter Altstadt
First floor edit
At first you entered a hallway leading in a western and eastern direction. Via a door on the left or rather in the north you could reach the Great Hall (as can be seen in the image) which took up the whole northern half of this floor. It was always illuminated brightly by the six windows in the northern wall, facing the market square. In addition to countless valuables from citizen's households, which had been collected by the Museum of City History from several collections to display the living conditions of the upper bourgeoisie in the beginning of the eighteenth century, the room contained above all two extrordinary valuable objects originating from Halel's time and also himself:
For one thing, the whole ceiling was covered with multicoloured stucco, measuring 7.20 x 5.40 metres. In the middle of this rectangle two dominating octagons were located which, along with the angles' visit of Abraham and the Binding of Isaac, showed topics from the Old Testament. In the four corners of the aforementioned rectangle depictions of Tobiae's story could be seen in ellipses respectively. The vacant space between these geometrical shapes was richly decorated with scroll and symmetric ornaments, fruits, putti, birds and musical instruments. In its whole construction the ceilling was a masterpiece of craftsmanship because the stucco plasterer had to work under relatively cramped conditions, despite the spaciousness of the room, and therefore had had no opportunity to check his work from a greater viewing distance.[1][2][3]
The other valuable object was a green enamelled cocklestove in in the south western corner of the room which, according to a number on a tile, was constructed in 1621. The tiles also depicted biblical scenes like the Finding of Moses, bathing Susanna and twice Samson with the gates of Gaza City, which has probably been burnt with the same hollow mould.[1]
Back in the hallway on the southern side you could reach the Back Hall via two doors, which had probably been used as a bedchamber for Hamel's daughters in his time, but was seperated in two rooms by erecting a partition in about 1700.
The spiral stairwell of the staircase led to the second floor, again passing an intermediate floor, to be entered in the west, above the former vestibule of the Alte Hölle, which had once been used as a Zuckerkammer (confectioner's chamber) and was recently used as a labratory to develop photographs of the museum.
Second floor edit
In its structure the second floor was essentially idetical with the floor below although the rooms north and south of the hallway had already been separated by intermediate walls during Hamel's time, resulting in four doors leading to four rooms in this part of the building.
At the end of the seventeenth century, when the house was owned by the Barckhausen family, additional renovations were carried out, for example furnishing was obviously added. A rather simple stucco ceiling was built in the north-eastern room. It was divided in panels, showing a pelican feeding its fledglings – an indication that the room was used as a nursery. The pelican was also the crest of the Barckhausen family's coat-of-arms. Additionally, a big double door leading to the north-western room had been added (as can be seen in the image), flanked by detailed Corinthian pillars.
The remaining rooms on the floor were decorated far more plainly than the previous floors and included little decor originating from the earlier times of the house. Through the centuries they had been used as a bed-chamber or an office under different owners. The museum furnished them according to their presumed purposes an office, a music room, a kitchen and the chambers of a male resident, using much of the original decor.
Back in the stairwell the third intermediate floor above the vestibule of the Alte Hölle could be seen on the western side on the way to the roof. Although in contrast to the preceding intermediate floors, the western wall was open-worked here and led via a staircase to the slightly lower situated second floor above the storeroom of the Alte Hölle. In this area of the house, which was described as a workshop in an inventory in 1635, Hamel had once arranged cauldrons, pans and stoves for his original business. Via a staircase you could reach the attic of the Alte Hölle from this point. The attic was also called "chamber slightly above" in the inventory. Beside indications that a very basic sleeping area was arranged here for Hamel's apprentices, the attic was mostly used for storing the materials used in the workshop below it. The rooms, as well as both upper top floors of the Goldene Waage are now mostly used for the museum administration. The caretaker's appartment of the was in the extended attic of the Alte Hölle.
If you continued up the staircase, the stone steps turned into wooden ones and the timber-framed character of the stair tower revealed itself on the walls. On the southern side a wooden hatch with a lift could also be seen, allowing the transport of goods and supplies from the courtyard to the attic.
The Belvederchen edit
The building was capped by the peaking, slate covered end of the stair tower which, on the western side, led to the so-called „Belvederchen“, an open roof garden (as can be seen on the images).
Such roof gardens were quite popular in the historic city centre because they provided not only a beautiful view but primarily fresh air, which was a rarity in the dirty lanes of the historic city centre. However, they gradually declined under the catholic prince-primate Carl Theodor of Dalberg who, among other things, prohibited overhangs on new constructions. Therefore, in the early twentieth century similar roof extensions could only be found on the Haus zum Schildknecht at Hühnermarkt 18, the Haus zum Holderbaum und Hirschberg at Saalgasse 30, as well as the Haus zum weißen Hahn at Krautmarkt 5, also known as House of Spices. Undoubtedly the Belvederchen of the Goldene Waage was the biggest and most splendorous among them.
The Belvederchen was constructed on the Alte Hölle, which was perpendicular to the Goldene Waage behind the neighbouring houses at the Market and consisted of a lead-covered roof garden, measuring 6.40 x 4.80 metres. A decorative well with a roofed shell-shaped marble bowl between two curved corinthian pillars, was located at the southern side. Its roof was also decorated with colourful stones, even on the inside. The well was fed by a cistern on the roof. A few steps above the roof garden there was a wooden arbor, its floor area measuring 8.20 x 2.70 metres. Instead of windows the arbor possessed wooden grids, which served as a protection from the wind and could be opened like windows.[2] Thus, even in midsummer the arbor remained pleasently cool. The view from the Belvederchen to the tower of the cathedral above the roofs of the medieval historic city centre has been drawn of photographed often, amongst others by Carl Theodor Reiffenstein.
Since the description of this view cannot be made anymore today, a citation of the description in the Guide through the Goldene Waage,[2] which was published in the 1930s, is cited in the following:
„In the east, in crushing proximity, the glowing red sandstone blocks of the cathedral tower reach upwards sky-high. In the south the eye wanderes over the Main the the House of the Teutonic Order at the other end of the Old Bridge, over Sachsenhausen to Mühlberg, covered with gardens and cottages. Beond that one can imagine the neverending forests of the old royal woods "Dreieich". In the west the Römer, the medieval city hall of the town with the Emperor Hall, metaphorically waves and is nearly within reach. The towers of Old St Nicholas Church and St. Leonhard greet the viewer; massive and heavy St. Paul's Church protrudes over the maze of slate roofs, which was the venue of the German National Assembly in 1848. Finally, the greater area of Frankfurt spreads to the north, vast and slowly rising. The breathing of the restlessly working city trembles up softly and lets the visitor experience the delicate quiet and tranquill seclusion of the roof garden all the more. Every visitor experiences this differently and it is advisable to climb up and to take a look for yourself.“
Literature edit
- Johann Georg Battonn: Oertliche Beschreibung der Stadt Frankfurt am Main – Band III. Verein für Geschichte und Alterthumskunde zu Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main 1864, S. 197f. und S. 257–259. (Digital link)
- Architekten- & Ingenieur-Verein, ed. (1886), [Acorntree144/Haus zur Goldenen Waage is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive Frankfurt am Main und seine Bauten] (in German), Frankfurt am Main: [Selbstverlag], pp. 34, 62-64
{{citation}}: Check|url=value (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link) - Rudolf Jung, Julius Hülsen (1914), [Digitalisat Die Baudenkmäler in Frankfurt am Main] (in German), vol. Dritter Band. Privatbauten, Frankfurt am Main: Heinrich Keller, pp. 109–122
{{citation}}: Check|url=value (help) - Otto Rupersberg: Der Erbauer der Goldenen Wage, Abraham von Hammel, und seine Hinterlassenschaft. In: Schriften des Historischen Museums IV. Direktion des Historischen Museums der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main 1928, S. 62–84.
- Heinrich Bingemer, Franz Lerner: Führer durch die Goldene Wage. Presse- und Werbestelle der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main 1935 (Schriftenreihe Frankfurter Sehenswürdigkeiten 3).
- Heinrich Voelcker: Die Altstadt in Frankfurt am Main innerhalb der Hohenstaufenmauer. Moritz Diesterweg, Frankfurt am Main 1937, S. 52–72.
- Hans Lohne: Frankfurt um 1850. Nach Aquarellen und Beschreibungen von Carl Theodor Reiffenstein und dem Malerischen Plan von Friedrich Wilhelm Delkeskamp. Frankfurt am Main, Verlag Waldemar Kramer, 1967.
- Georg Hartmann, Fried Lübbecke (Hrsg.): Alt-Frankfurt. Ein Vermächtnis. Der goldene Brunnen, Frankfurt M 1950, Sauer und Auvermann, Glashütten 1971.
- Manfred Gerner: Fachwerk in Frankfurt am Main. Verlag Waldemar Kramer, Frankfurt 1979, S. 32–34. ISBN 3-7829-0217-3
- Hartwig Beseler, Niels Gutschow: Kriegsschicksale Deutscher Architektur – Verluste, Schäden, Wiederaufbau. Bd. 2. Süd. Karl Wachholtz, Neumünster 1988, S. 827; Panorama, Wiesbaden 2000. ISBN 3-926642-22-X.
Weblinks edit
- Die Goldene Wage. altfrankfurt.com
- Markt 5 Goldene Waage auf der Webseite des Dom-Römer-Projektes
- Photo der erhaltenen Original-Arkaden in Götzenhain
