Grocers' Apartments, Hamburg

The Krameramtsstuben in Hamburg are on Krayenkamp in the new town below the " Michel ". Formerly used as dwellings for widows from Krameramtswohnungen that form was built around 1620 to 1700 half-timbered houses today the last closed courtyard development of the 17th century in Hamburg.

Used today by small shops, galleries, restaurants and a preserved as a museum apartment, illustrates the ensemble of the two front buildings, with the along a narrow corridor built on both sides of houses in the courtyard development, best appearance of the wide until the 20th century, parts of Hamburg old and New Towns formative Gängeviertel.

History and Architecture

The oldest houses in the plant at Krayenkamp 10/11 ( home a and n / m) are also the oldest surviving residential building consisting of Old and New Hamburg city center. With its cantilevered floors and ornamental cut cleats, they emerged around 1620 ( Rear Housing 1615-20; Vorderhaus 1625) as a country house and garden house on an otherwise designed as an ornamental and pleasure garden plot. At the same time, this still small built-up part of the new town was included in the fortification of the removed Hamburger ramparts with. Today's re-excavated in the courtyard houses painted ceiling, suggests an upper-class users of these houses.

1676 was the wealthy Kramer office, built on the premises acquired by him with the existing houses, free housing for 20 widows of deceased members. Kramer's office was a guild- like association of small traders ( Kramer, Kramer later grocer ) who owned their store or booth in Hamburg. 1375 itself had these (probably even older ) organization in which, among other spices, silk and iron dealers were represented, adopted statutes. The character of the office shows a recessed in the wall of the upper floor stone with the presentation of a balance. Opposite is an old table starting with ANNO 1676 information on the names of the old and beysitzer the praiseworthy Krahmer Ambts under which the apartments builded from the Ambts means the glory of God - and brothers came to Behuff Bedürffliger Ambts widows, followed by a protective formula from fire and other Noth and renovation data in 1867 and 1927.

The construction of the two rows with the same in each case tailored widow apartments was not only for social aspects. At the same time it was also in the interest of Kramer Office, widows or disabled brethren to relocate out of the shops to re- allow new traders, as women were not allowed to perform only those transactions. In addition to the rent-free apartments widows also got fuel and a small pension.

In the five houses each row, who won on the basis of that cantilevered construction up more space, first there were two flats in ground floor and attic with chamber, hall and hotplate. These were later contracted to a single dwelling. Striking are the rotated brick chimneys and for the gears and farms formerly typical wooden frames on the windows, the Ricken, their rods ( Rickenstaken ) the laundry was dried.

In 1700 the house was built by the now the doorway leading to the courtyard. It was not the actual Kramer 's widow and apartments has been rented as a residence.

On February 1, 1865, the Act came hamburgische of 7 November 1864, the Commercial Freedom. The 40 remaining offices in Hamburg were dissolved and in 1866 took over the Free and Hanseatic City of the Krameramtswohnungen. Older single women were now on there from the city housed. Shortly before 1900, the apartments were given a water connection, having previously served a fountain in the courtyard of the water supply. By 1933, the entire ensemble was declared a National Monument.

The bombing of the Second World War, survived the meantime surrounded by floor houses the turn of the century Krameramtswohnungen without major damage, a lying next to the front rise residential building, however, was hit hard ( Krayenkamp 9 is still an older home preserved).

Despite the lack of sanitary hygiene verschiedentlicher renovations and the structural condition made ​​its use as apartments for the elderly gradually impossible. In a report a thorough renovation in 1968 was deemed necessary. The city drew up to 1971 a utilization concept for the vacant since 1970 houses. From 1972, due to static displacement of the building, which was caused by structural change in the environment, a sweeping reorganization for 1.6 million marks. In June 1974, the inauguration of the leased houses could be carried out as a cultural and example of a successful old town renovation.

Kramer 's widow Apartment - Museum

One of the leading old three-storey flats has been preserved in its original state as a museum Kramer widow apartment, a branch of the Museum of Hamburg History ( hamburgmuseum ). It has been equipped with a full equipment from the period around 1850/60, some of which dates back to the apartments themselves or other Krämer households, and can be visited.

It clarifies the living conditions in the widow homes and at the same time as these homes were not inhabited by poor people, the rarely-seen living conditions of the middle class in a big city to the middle of the 19th century.

A beam balance and a cubit from the period around 1800, the most important instruments of Kramer and seeing as guild sign on a blackboard at homes, can be seen there as well.

Krayenkamp and environment

The Krayenkamp (formerly also Kraienkamp ) extends in an arc to the southeast to the increased size of the St. Michaelis Church. It starts at the sub-field with a passage to the monument of lemon Jette and leads to the English plank.

Having had already located here in the 16th century a plague cemetery, the area was arrested again in 1623 as a burial place in claim on which from 1647 also the first Michael's Church was built. The street name probably comes from a Kraye Heinrich, who had leased the Kamp 1614 and not. Spread of the earlier interpretation as crows field with respect to the crows on the old cemeteries