Frenzelhof, Cultural heritage house on Untermarkt, Görlitz, Germany
Frenzelhof is a closed-style merchant house at number 5 Untermarkt in Görlitz, displaying typical features of medieval German trading residences. It contains Renaissance wooden ceilings, a private house chapel, and a storage chamber for valuables.
The house was built around 1500 and functioned as an important trading post on the Via Regia, a major European commerce route. This location made it a meeting point for merchants exchanging goods across the continent.
Goethe admired this building and called such merchant houses in Görlitz 'Kaufmannsburgen' because of their impressive scale and solid construction. The name reflects how fortress-like and grand these structures appeared to observers.
Visitors can explore the interior and view the historical rooms, including the private chapel and storage chamber. The location functions partly as a hotel today, so access may vary depending on operating conditions.
The house contains a rare original chapel still visible and accessible, offering insight into the private religious life of wealthy merchants. Such private prayer rooms were uncommon in merchant houses of this period.
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