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. Because of its high architectural and historic value, it is one of the most famous sights of the city. It is 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. 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.Eine Renaissance-Decke von heute in FAZ vom 24. Februar 2017, Seite 35 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.
History
Prehistory 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.Die Baudenkmäler von Frankfurt am Main. Bd. 3. Privatbauten. 1914, S. 109–122. 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.Führer durch die Goldene Wage 1935.
The Goldene Waage under Abraham van Hamel 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.
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."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.
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 July 1618, a neighbour 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 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 19 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).
From the era of Hamel to the purchase of the city 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 peaceful 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 25 July 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
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.