F-Haus, Event venue and cultural heritage monument in Jena, Germany.
F-Haus is a listed building on Johannisplatz in Jena, used since 1999 by landlord Steffen Bernhardt as an event venue and pub. The structure grew from an inn documented from 1874 as Zum gelben Löwen: a bowling alley built in 1895 still exists, a hall with stage followed in 1906, and the facade carries the inscription Haus der Gewerkschaften.
A tavern likely stood here since the 18th century; building records from 1874 document the inn Zum gelben Löwen. From 1895 the unions built a bowling alley, offices and guest rooms, added a hall with stage in 1906 and redid the facade in 1912. On 2 May 1933 the SA seized the union building, which became the Fritz-Triebel-Haus; from 1949 it was called FDGB-Haus, giving the nickname F-Haus.
The name F-Haus comes from the FDGB-Haus lettering that the building carried in GDR times; the red letters were removed in early 1990. Since 1999 the Jena restaurateur Steffen Bernhardt, nicknamed "Alf", has run it as an event venue, and the facade now reads Haus der Gewerkschaften.
F-Haus stands on Johannisplatz, facing the square where striking workers threw papers from the building on 17 June 1953. The bowling alley built in 1895 and the 1906 hall with stage still serve the venue, which gastronome Steffen Bernhardt has run since 1999. The building belongs to the Ernst-Abbe-Stiftung and carries the inscription Haus der Gewerkschaften.
The name F-Haus comes from FDGB-Haus, the GDR-era label for the building; the red letters were removed in early 1990. A bowling alley built in 1895 by trade unionists still exists inside, and in 1928 Bauhaus artist Walter Dexel fitted the building with an illuminated sign.
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