Baumhaus, Baroque architectural monument at Old Harbor, Wismar, Germany.
The Baumhaus is a baroque building at the Old Harbor in Wismar with symmetrical windows and carefully detailed stonework throughout its facade. The entrance features two carved stone figures known as Swedish Heads.
Wismar's city authorities built the Baumhaus in the first half of the 18th century in the Baroque style. Harbor administration employees known as Bohmschlüter pulled a chain across the harbor entrance at night or when danger threatened, and also operated the barrier of the harbor access road. The building has been used for exhibitions in the 21st century.
The name Baumhaus comes from the barrier (Bohm) that port officials called Bohmschlüter operated here: at night or when danger threatened they pulled a chain across the harbour entrance and worked the harbour access boom. The two Swedish Heads flanking the main entrance are the city's landmark, though they are copies of originals once mounted on mooring posts in Wismar Bay.
The Baumhaus stands on the Alte Hafen at Stockholmer Straße, right at the harbor entrance, so it is reached on foot from the harbor quay. The two Swedish heads flank the main entrance and can be examined from outside. In the 21st century the building is used for exhibitions, so access to the interior depends on the current show.
The two Swedish Heads flanking the main entrance are copies; the originals once stood on mooring posts (Duckdalben) in Wismar Bay. They are a landmark of the city, and the building itself now serves as an exhibition venue.
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