The Das Historische Kaufhaus (ie the Historic Store) in Freiburg is one of those buildings that (with small dimensions) greatly affect the overall feel of the city. A quaint, gingerbread house looks like the Cathedral Square, organically connecting with the cathedral, old houses around the square and old streets. It's not surprising - the Kaufhaus building is almost 500 years old.

The very first building on this site appeared even earlier - in the middle of the 14th century, and it was built immediately as a store .Later the business grew, and in 1532 g .for him built a new room - what we see now is .It was several times expanded and completed, added a balcony and decorative elements, but the base was preserved the same .It was used until the 19th century by designation - as a shop, then as an administrative building, and now it has turned into something like a ceremonial hall: there are official city events, concerts and a lot of private events: conferences, meetings, banquets and t .ะด .

Freiburg Kaufhaus now more than 500 years.

This is an interesting building in the Gothic style, decorated on one side with a balcony and a covered arcade, and in the corners - small quaint turrets. Above all of this are the famous sculptures of the early 16th century, made by a very famous sculptor of that era - Hans Sixt von Staufen. Figures depict the rulers of the Habsburg dynasty. The roof is partially monophonic, partially covered with colored mosaic tiles, there are few decorative elements on the building itself, but they are so funny that you can look at it for a long time.

Inside the space is divided into several rooms, in them the historical decoration is partially preserved. So, in the Imperial Hall, painted ceilings and panels survived, in the Rococo Hall - mural paintings (very elegant and fairly well preserved), in some places - huge historical fireplaces, etc.

You can see the building from the inside only by going to the concert (although if you ask - they can let it go, but it's as lucky). Concerts here are good and inexpensive, usually it's classical or choral music, the program can be viewed on the official website of Kaufhaus.

Practical information

Official address: Freiburg, Munsterplatz, 24, Historisches Kaufhaus.

Kaufhaus goes to one of the oldest squares of the city, all the streets around are pedestrian, so you need to walk from the borders of the Old Town to Kaufhaus. But the historical center here is small, so it will not take much time, and there are many other sights around (as well as good restaurants, shops, etc.). It is most convenient to combine this with the inspection of the cathedral.