Schenkbarsches Haus, Cultural heritage monument in Biedenkopf, Germany.
The Schenkbarsches Haus is the oldest house in Biedenkopf, at Bei der Kirche 8–9. It rises five storeys above a medieval vault with a Romanesque sandstone arch and a defensive tower: the two lower floors form the Hallenbau, a Burgmannshof built in several medieval phases, while the three upper floors were added in 1610 by Schultheiß Schenkbar. The building has a rubble-stone base, post-and-beam construction, a slate-covered gabled roof, and slate-clad upper storeys and gable triangles.
The structure was built before 1254 over a medieval vault with a Romanesque sandstone arch, and received three additional upper floors in 1610 by Schultheiß Schenkbar. This 17th-century expansion transformed the medieval foundation into the larger residence visible today.
Since 2010 the house has held the Biedenkopf Icon Museum, showing Russian and Greek icons from the 16th to 19th centuries, with emphasis on how Orthodox theology is rendered in images. Its collection also includes painters' practice boards and matrices for icon covers, and restoration is another focus. The name Schenkbarsches Haus has been used since the 1960s, after Schultheiß Schenkbar.
The house at Bei der Kirche 8–9 now holds the Ikonenmuseum Biedenkopf and a textile museum, opened in 2010. During the 2009 uncovering work, walls and ceilings with building-history details were deliberately left exposed, so visitors can see the timber-frame construction. The house also closes the town's building-history walking tours.
This structure is the oldest house in Biedenkopf and has survived multiple city fires throughout its long history. Its resilience through such disasters demonstrates the durability of medieval craftsmanship and construction methods.
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