Wedekindhaus, Timber-framed Renaissance house at Market Square, Hildesheim, Germany.
The Wedekindhaus is a Renaissance timber-framed house on the market square of Hildesheim, featuring three front gables and a detailed timber framework on its southern side. Several transverse gables give the building a layered roofline that stands out among the surrounding structures.
Hans Storre, a merchant from a local patrician family, had the house built in 1598 directly across from the town hall. Later it gave its name to the Wedekind family, who became the building's most notable owners in the following centuries.
The carved figures on the facade represent virtues such as justice, faith, and patience, which were seen as foundations of civic life in Renaissance times. Wealthy merchants used such imagery to signal their social standing to anyone passing through the market square.
The building is easy to find at the center of the market square, where it now houses a bank branch. The carved facade and timber details are fully visible from the open square, so no entry is needed to take in the exterior.
The house was destroyed in 1945 and then rebuilt between 1984 and 1986 using the original Renaissance design as a guide. The reconstruction was carried out with enough care that most visitors walking past today have no idea they are looking at a building that is less than half a century old.
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