Butchers' Guild Hall, Hildesheim
Encyclopedia
The Butchers' Guild Hall (German: Knochenhauer-Amtshaus) is a half-timbered house in Hildesheim
in the federal state of Lower Saxony
, Germany
.
. With its 7 floors and a height of 26 metres, it is considered to be one of the tallest half-timbered houses in Germany. The roof has a dimension of 800 square metres. The representative portal
has a width of 2.35 meters. The Butchers' Guild Hall was once considered one of the most beautiful houses of the world. The façade is sumptuously decorated with colourful wood carvings, paintings and German proverbs. The Butchers' Guild Hall was originally built in 1529 in a Gothic
style. The Architect's name, however, remains unknown. The building was used as a meeting place of the butchers' guild, which was a very wealthy and influential guild in Hildesheim in the Middle Ages
. As the cellar has walls with a thickness of up to 1.4 metres which keep the temperature very low, it was used for storing meat and sausages. The Old City Tavern (German: Stadtschänke), another tall half-timbered house, was built opposite in 1666. In 1825, the adjoining smaller Bakers' Guild Hall (German: Bäckeramtshaus) was built, replacing an older guildhall. In 1884, the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th floors were destroyed by a fire, but rebuilt immediately. On this occasion, detailed construction plans were made.
, Hildesheim's neighbouring cities Hanover
and Braunschweig
suffered severe bomb damage as early as in 1943 and 1944 and many historic buildings were destroyed. As a consequence, the City Council of Hildesheim contemplated the dismantlement of the Butcher's Guild Hall, but this proved to be impossible. Gypsoplasts were taken of the most valuable wooden carvings, a precise wooden model was made and many photos were taken of the building. The construction plans were put in safekeeping.
On 22 March 1945
the half-timbered houses of the market place including the Butcher's Guild Hall were destroyed by incendiary bombs. Only the vault construction of the cellar remained. In the 1950s the houses were replaced by concrete buildings with flat roofs. One of these buildings was used by the Municipal Savings Bank. The Butchers' Guild Hall was replaced by a hotel with seven floors which was built from 1962-64.
400 cubic metres of oak
wood, 7,500 wooden pegs and 19,000 roof tiles, which were nearly 150 years old, were used. The Roofing Ceremony was held on 15 January 1989, and the reconstruction was completed in December 1989. The total costs of reconstructing the Butcher's and Bakers' Guild Halls amounted to DM 13.6 million, approximately € 7 million. As the reconstruction, which many people called "The miracle of Hildesheim", was a great success for the city, the Upended Sugarloaf
, another half-timbered house which had been destroyed in 1945, was rebuilt in the same way in 2009/2010.
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
in the federal state of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History and Architecture
The Butcher's Guild Hall, a beautiful and fine specimen of half-timbered building is one of the largest buildings in the Historic Market Place of HildesheimHistoric Market Place, Hildesheim
The Historic Market Place is one of the most famous sights in the city of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, Germany- History :Hildesheim, one of the oldest cities in the North of Germany, was founded in 815 as a bishopric close to a ford of the river Innerste. The settlement very quickly developed into a...
. With its 7 floors and a height of 26 metres, it is considered to be one of the tallest half-timbered houses in Germany. The roof has a dimension of 800 square metres. The representative portal
Portal (architecture)
Portal is a general term describing an opening in the walls of a building, gate or fortification, and especially a grand entrance to an important structure. Doors, metal gates or portcullis in the opening can be used to control entry or exit. The surface surrounding the opening may be made of...
has a width of 2.35 meters. The Butchers' Guild Hall was once considered one of the most beautiful houses of the world. The façade is sumptuously decorated with colourful wood carvings, paintings and German proverbs. The Butchers' Guild Hall was originally built in 1529 in a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style. The Architect's name, however, remains unknown. The building was used as a meeting place of the butchers' guild, which was a very wealthy and influential guild in Hildesheim in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. As the cellar has walls with a thickness of up to 1.4 metres which keep the temperature very low, it was used for storing meat and sausages. The Old City Tavern (German: Stadtschänke), another tall half-timbered house, was built opposite in 1666. In 1825, the adjoining smaller Bakers' Guild Hall (German: Bäckeramtshaus) was built, replacing an older guildhall. In 1884, the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th floors were destroyed by a fire, but rebuilt immediately. On this occasion, detailed construction plans were made.
Destruction
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Hildesheim's neighbouring cities Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
and Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
suffered severe bomb damage as early as in 1943 and 1944 and many historic buildings were destroyed. As a consequence, the City Council of Hildesheim contemplated the dismantlement of the Butcher's Guild Hall, but this proved to be impossible. Gypsoplasts were taken of the most valuable wooden carvings, a precise wooden model was made and many photos were taken of the building. The construction plans were put in safekeeping.
On 22 March 1945
Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II
The German city of Hildesheim, ca. 30 kilometres south of Hanover was target of several Allied air raids in 1945.-Hildesheim during World War II:In 1939, Hildesheim had about 72,000 inhabitants...
the half-timbered houses of the market place including the Butcher's Guild Hall were destroyed by incendiary bombs. Only the vault construction of the cellar remained. In the 1950s the houses were replaced by concrete buildings with flat roofs. One of these buildings was used by the Municipal Savings Bank. The Butchers' Guild Hall was replaced by a hotel with seven floors which was built from 1962-64.
Reconstruction
At the beginning of the 1980s, the hotel in the Market Place went bankrupt and the expanding Municipal Savings Bank needed a larger building. On this occasion, the City Council decided to tear down the concrete buildings and to reconstruct the historic Market Place of Hildesheim in the original style. Many inhabitants of Hildesheim donated money for the project and provided old photos and drawings. Some of the old construction plans of the Butchers' Guild Hall were preserved. The foundation stone was laid on 27 October 1987.400 cubic metres of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
wood, 7,500 wooden pegs and 19,000 roof tiles, which were nearly 150 years old, were used. The Roofing Ceremony was held on 15 January 1989, and the reconstruction was completed in December 1989. The total costs of reconstructing the Butcher's and Bakers' Guild Halls amounted to DM 13.6 million, approximately € 7 million. As the reconstruction, which many people called "The miracle of Hildesheim", was a great success for the city, the Upended Sugarloaf
Upended Sugarloaf, Hildesheim
The Upended Sugarloaf is an iconic half-timbered house in the city of Hildesheim in the federal state of Lower Saxony in Germany.- History and architecture :...
, another half-timbered house which had been destroyed in 1945, was rebuilt in the same way in 2009/2010.
The Butchers' Guild Hall today
Today the Butchers' Guild Hall, which is one of the most famous buildings of Hildesheim, houses a restaurant and the City Museum. Every year, a traditional Christmas Market is held in front of the Butchers' Guild Hall. It starts in the last week of November and runs through to Christmas Eve. Traditional products and handicrafts, Christmas merchandise and local delicacies are offered.External links
- Knochenhaueramtshaus - official site