Nürnberger Hof, Medieval trade building in Frankfurt, Germany
The Nürnberger Hof was a trade building consisting of two sections connected by passages, featuring Gothic star vaulting with Frankfurt and Nuremberg coats of arms on display. The structure functioned as a complex storage system for goods and the management of trading activities during the city's major fairs.
The complex grew from two separate courtyards: the Glauburghof, seat of the Glauburg patrician family in the 13th century, and the Schmidthof to its north. In 1485 the two were merged into one property. The southern passage to the inner courtyard was built around 1410 to designs by cathedral master builder Madern Gerthener. The 1905 breakthrough of Braubachstraße cut through the complex and destroyed its central courtyard.
The building served as a lodging place for important visitors, including Emperors Friedrich III and Maximilian I as well as artist Albrecht Dürer during their stays in Frankfurt. It reflected the city's role as a place where power and commerce intersected.
The two surviving gateways stand on opposite sides of Braubachstraße: the southern passage with Gerthener's star vault is at house No. 31, reached from Römerberg just right of the Steinernes Haus; the northern baroque gate of around 1720 is in the courtyard of No. 28. Both are on foot in the Old Town, a few steps from the Alte Markt.
The property was created in 1485 when two separate courtyards, Glauburghof and Schmidthof, merged to form what became the city's largest trading complex at that time. This merger marked a pivotal moment in Frankfurt's growth as an international trading center.
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