Essighaus, Renaissance merchant house in Mitte, Germany

Essighaus is a gabled town house on Langenstraße in Bremen's old town, built in 1618 by Lemgo master builder Ernst Crossmann for the Esich merchant family. Its ground floor preserves the original projecting bay windows (Utluchten) and portal, while the upper floors were rebuilt in 1956 and the facade was fully reconstructed by summer 2026. The sandstone sculptures and scrollwork gable recall its Weser Renaissance design.

The building was constructed in 1618 as a merchant house, reflecting Bremen's prosperity during the Renaissance. Its name comes from a vinegar factory that operated at the site during the 1800s, before the structure suffered severe damage in World War II.

The building shows typical features of a Bremen merchant house, with living spaces above and business rooms below. This layout reflects how wealthy traders lived and worked during the Renaissance period.

The building is visible from outside and located in a central area of the old town district. It can be viewed year-round, with the restored facade best appreciated during daylight hours.

In August 1909 Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung visited Bremen's Bleikeller, where Freud was repelled by the mummified corpses. When Jung raised the subject again at the table of the Alt-Bremer Haus in the Essighaus, Freud grew so agitated that he fainted.