Haus zur goldenen Waage

The Haus zur Goldenen Waage is a medieval half-timbered house in the old town of Frankfurt am Main, which was destroyed in the air raid on 22 March 1944.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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".

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".

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.

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.

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 building was completely renovated starting in 1899 by the builder Franz von Hoven.

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.

The Haus zur Goldenen Waage remained undamaged at first, even though the attacks of 4 October 1943, 29 January 1944, and 18 March 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 22 March 1944.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[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.

The scales that had been attached 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 stairway became obsolete when the Alte Hölle was merged with the Goldenen Waage and part of the basement rooms was sold to die Grüne Linde located west of the market.

Changes to the house, such as the many doors which were walled-up over the centuries, the cellars, along with uncertainty as to the ownership gave rise to many myths and rumours, so people believed the Goldene Waage to be haunted.

The parapet was designed in the same style as the guard rail and was intercepted by a solid red sandstone pillar with an ionic capital as high as the room.

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 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.

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.