Broyhanhaus, Timber-framed house in Mitte, Germany

The Broyhanhaus at Kramerstraße 24 in Hanover's old town is a five-storey half-timbered building standing on the two-aisled vaulted cellar of its predecessors. Its classical facade of 1830 is applied to the front and does not match the original appearance; it holds remains of Hanover's oldest shop-window front. A three-storey annex covers half the width at the rear. The two lower floors and the vaulted cellar house a restaurant, the upper floors apartments.

The building was constructed in 1576, built upon medieval cellar vaults from the 14th century that survive from even earlier structures. This layering of different periods makes it one of Hannover's oldest surviving timber-framed buildings.

The house takes its name from Cord Broyhan, the brewer credited with inventing the beer named after him, which brought major economic benefit to Hanover. Broyhan lived in the predecessor building from 1537 to 1561. Brewing of Broyhan beer ended in 1919, but the Gilde brewery, which grew out of the brewers' guild founded in 1546 partly by Broyhan, still operates.

The Broyhanhaus stands at Kramerstraße 24, in a row of half-timbered houses just west of the Marktkirche in the old town. The restaurant occupies the vaulted cellar and the first two floors, while the upper floors are still lived in, so only the restaurant area is open to visitors. The building was examined in 1984 and restored until 1987.

Beneath the building are vaulted cellars from the 14th century, revealing medieval construction techniques used centuries before the current structure was built. These underground spaces are silent witnesses to Hannover's earliest trading traditions.