Bonngasse 18, Architectural heritage in Bonn-Zentrum, Germany

Haus "Im Mohren" at Bonngasse 18 is a Baroque townhouse built around 1700, next to Beethoven's birthplace. Its facade carries a wooden figure of a Moor with a pipe and barrel, a copy made in 2003; the 13th-century vaulted cellar was reused in the rebuild.

The building was constructed in the 18th century and later became a center for musicological research and documentation. Its role expanded as it became integrated into institutions dedicated to preserving and studying Beethoven's legacy.

The house name comes from its Hauszeichen, a wooden figure of a Moor with pipe and barrel that marked the building before street numbering existed. A grocery trade in exotic spices around 1800 is the presumed reason for the sign. The weathered original was removed in 2003; the copy in Spessart oak weighs 80 kg with console, barrel and pipe.

The exterior can be viewed freely while walking through the historic street. Interior access to archives and research materials requires advance arrangements, as the facility primarily serves researchers and scholars.

The building is part of a music research complex with multiple adjacent structures along the same street. This interconnected group of buildings creates an unusual concentration of specialized research facilities within a historic street.