Hilchenhaus, Renaissance monument in Lorch, Germany

The Hilchenhaus is a three-story stone building in Lorch with a monumental show facade facing the Rhine, unlike the timber-framed houses typical of the region. Two strong columns support a two-story oriel, and a square stair tower on the side is dated 1548. The four-story stepped gable with lunettes and volutes crowns the river front.

Field Marshal Johann Hilchen von Lorch had the house built between 1546 and 1548 but died before its completion. His daughter Maria inherited it, and after her death in 1561 it passed to her son Johann von Hunolstein, who finished the stepped gable in 1573. In 1718 the Lorch estate was sold to Baron Anton von Sohlern, whose son Carl Heinrich made it the family seat in 1722.

The house was called the Hunolsteinerhof in the 17th century, when the Electors of Mainz and Trier, Damian Hartard and Karl Kaspar von der Leyen, met here in March 1675 and 1676. In 1696 Lothar Franz von Schönborn, Elector of Mainz, spent a night here on his way back from Bad Ems to Mainz.

The building sits close to the river and is easy to find in the town center. Its renovated interior provides comfortable access to dining, cultural activities, and tourist guidance all in one location.

Two substantial columns support a large two-story oriel window projecting from the facade. The gable rises four stories with stepped design and ornamental details including rounded openings.