Haus zum Güldenen Krönbacken, Medieval architectural ensemble in Erfurt, Germany.
Haus zum Güldenen Krönbacken is a medieval architectural ensemble in Erfurt consisting of a main house on Michaelisstraße 10, a large courtyard, and several smaller buildings arranged around it. The complex functions today as a space for exhibitions and cultural activities.
The oldest parts of the house are cellar and ground-floor sections from the mid-13th century, with the earliest remains in the front building dated to 1267. A timber-framed storey was added in 1326 and extended rearwards in 1433. In the mid-15th century the property passed to the patrician von der Sachsen family, who had the older woad warehouse in the courtyard rebuilt in 1468.
The name Krönbacken refers to the woad trade that made Erfurt wealthy in the late Middle Ages; the courtyard warehouse, the Waidspeicher, stored this dye plant. Since 1994 it has served as a cultural house for exhibitions and events, with a modern yellow sandstone foyer added to the north. The adjacent Michaeliskirche was extended around 1500 with the Trinity Chapel, whose outer wall abuts the front house.
The complex is entered from Michaelisstraße 10, with the courtyard and the Waidspeicher cultural hall at the rear. The Waidspeicher is used for exhibitions and events, and a modern sandstone annex on the north side of the courtyard serves as its foyer, cloakroom and stairwell. The 1990–1994 renovation exposed the roof truss on the upper floor.
The courtyard entrance's pointed arch dates from 1534, and its timber-framed upper storey from 1561; the seated-niche portal with window group on Michaelisstraße also dates from 1561. The coats of arms of Ilgen von Milwitz and his wife Anna Schwanfoglin, builders of the Renaissance facade, survive from that period.
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