Ribbeck-Haus

The Ribbeck-Haus at Breite Straße 35 displays late Renaissance architectural features with decorative gables, spiral volutes, and an arched portal entrance. The facade shows the skilled craftsmanship applied to residential buildings in early 1600s Berlin.

Hans Georg von Ribbeck had the house built in 1624 by merging two neighboring gabled houses into one residence. This action was part of Berlin's development during a period when the city modernized and expanded its buildings.

The building shows how wealthy merchants lived in Berlin and valued fine architecture. The Renaissance style with its decorations was a sign of prosperity and taste in the city at that time.

The building now houses the Berlin Senate Library and Center for Berlin Studies with research materials about the city's history. Visitors should check opening times and access beforehand since it operates as a research facility.

The cellar contains a restored barrel vault that was only discovered during renovation work in 1986. This medieval construction had been hidden for centuries and revealed an earlier building history of the site.