Romanisches Haus, Medieval building in Untermarkt, Gelnhausen, Germany

Romanisches Haus in Gelnhausen is a stone building erected around 1180, with a facade dominated by a row of round-arched windows. That lower row dates from the neo-Romanesque restoration after 1882, not from the Middle Ages. Inside, the first floor holds a hall with a five-metre ceiling and remains of a fireplace on its east wall.

Built around 1180, the Romanesque House served as the official residence of the imperial bailiff, the emperor's representative in the free imperial city of Gelnhausen. In the 17th century it was converted with half-timbering. Ludwig Bickell recognised its historical value, leading to restoration from 1882 that removed the timber additions and added Neo-Romanesque elements, some of which were removed in 1955.

The building was the official seat of the imperial bailiff, the emperor's representative in the free imperial city, not a merchant's residence. From the 14th century until the 15th century it served as Gelnhausen's town hall. Today it is the parish hall of the Protestant congregation of the Marienkirche.

The building is located at the center of Untermarkt and is easily accessible on foot. You can view it from the outside and examine the facade details up close.

The lower row of round-arched windows on the facade was added during the neo-Romanesque restoration after 1882, not in the Middle Ages; the originals had been replaced in the late Gothic period. Some of these 19th-century additions were removed again in 1955.