Hexenhäusel, Cultural heritage monument in Bautzen, Germany.
Hexenhäusel is a small historic residential building in Bautzen's old town, featuring timber framing and traditional wooden roof shingles. The structure appears surprisingly fragile for a house that has survived so many centuries.
The house was built before 1604 and survived the great city fire of 1634 that destroyed much of Bautzen. This survival makes it one of the oldest residential structures still standing in the city.
The name Hexenhäusel refers to local folklore about a Roma woman whose blessing supposedly protected the house from fire. This small wooden structure carries a piece of the neighborhood's memory, showing how stories become woven into a place's identity.
The building sits in the old town and can be viewed from Peace Bridge, which offers a good vantage point. Since late 2023, it operates as a museum, allowing visitors to explore one of the city's oldest residential buildings from the inside.
The house was originally a fisherman's dwelling situated right at the Spree waterfront before the city's geography shifted. This original purpose explains why its construction proved sturdy enough to withstand centuries of fire and destruction.
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