Leipzig's fair buildings: Barthels Hof

04/07/2008: Nowhere else is the destiny of a city and a fair so closely intertwined over the course of centuries as in Leipzig, where the rise of the bourgeoisie to wealth and stature was due largely to the fair. Fairs left an indelible mark upon the urban image of Leipzig.

In the 18th century the citizens of Leipzig created interlinked courtyards and buildings with passageways passing through them, architectural styles that enabled them to better address the requirements of a trade fair: buildings that were linked together enabled goods to be loaded more quickly, extensive stock areas were created above residential housing and shops. The birth of the samples fair (1895) was a revolution in the fair landscape of the time, it also paved the way for recovery from a global crisis in the sector. The cumbersome trading of goods at the fair site was replaced by an exhibition of samples. The samples displayed were then ordered by merchants and shipped to them. This also had an effect on the layout of the city streets: entire swathes of the medieval city centre made way for large buildings for the samples fair.

Barthels Hof

In 1992, after the property investor Jürgen Schneider had purchased the site of Barthels Hof without completing its renovation, reconstruction was completed in 1996 under the auspices of a property company. Today, it is not only gastronomy that impresses in the building complex, with its twin courtyards: small shops invite browsers - rental units of 80 to 540 square metres offer ideal conditions for surgeries, law firms and agencies.

The complex was first mentioned in 1523. At that time, the preceding structure, the "Goldene Schlange" - golden snake - was erected, Leipzig's oldest Renaissance structure, it was a bank and trading building of the Welser family. In 1747 this was followed by the Baroque conversion of Friedrich Seltendorff, on the orders of the Stadthauptmann, a high-ranking municipal official. Barthel's decisive contribution to the current structure: he had the buildings of Markt 8 and Hainstraße equipped with a courtyard and passageway to the Kleine Fleischergasse. With this, Barthels Hof is the sole so-called through courtyard from the time of the 19th century trade fairs.

The current facade architecture dates back to 1871, the sumptuous Renaissance bow front with its Gothic influence was not added to its current position in the courtyard until 1872. However, it had been a decorative element on one of the preceding structures since 1523 and is the oldest fragment of a Leipzig bourgeois building facade.

On the imposing courtyard wings in Barthels Hof the remains of the jib used to transport goods from the storerooms can still be seen. As early as the 16th century, fair exhibitors moved their trade into the courtyards. Barthels Hof is therefore an impressive witness to the commercial architecture of Leipzig.

(source: Leipziger Messe)

Leipzig's fair buildings: Barthels Hof 04/07/2008: Nowhere else is the destiny of a city and a fair so closely intertwined over the course of centuries as in Leipzig, where the rise of the bourgeoisie to wealth and stature was due largely to the fair. Fairs left an indelible mark upon the urban image of Leipzig. In the 18th century the citizens of Leipzig created interlinked courtyards and buildings with passageways passing through them, architectural styles that enabled them to better address the requirements of a trade fair: buildings that were linked together enabled goods to be loaded more quickly, extensive stock areas were created above residential housing and shops. The birth of the samples fair (1895) was a revolution in the fair landscape of the time, it also paved the way for recovery from a global crisis in the sector. The cumbersome trading of goods at the fair site was replaced by an exhibition of samples. The samples displayed were then ordered by merchants and shipped to them. This also had an effect on the layout of the city streets: entire swathes of the medieval city centre made way for large buildings for the samples fair. Barthels Hof In 1992, after the property investor Jürgen Schneider had purchased the site of Barthels Hof without completing its renovation, reconstruction was completed in 1996 under the auspices of a property company. Today, it is not only gastronomy that impresses in the building complex, with its twin courtyards: small shops invite browsers - rental units of 80 to 540 square metres offer ideal conditions for surgeries, law firms and agencies. The complex was first mentioned in 1523. At that time, the preceding structure, the "Goldene Schlange" - golden snake - was erected, Leipzig's oldest Renaissance structure, it was a bank and trading building of the Welser family. In 1747 this was followed by the Baroque conversion of Friedrich Seltendorff, on the orders of the Stadthauptmann, a high-ranking municipal official. Barthel's decisive contribution to the current structure: he had the buildings of Markt 8 and Hainstraße equipped with a courtyard and passageway to the Kleine Fleischergasse. With this, Barthels Hof is the sole so-called through courtyard from the time of the 19th century trade fairs. The current facade architecture dates back to 1871, the sumptuous Renaissance bow front with its Gothic influence was not added to its current position in the courtyard until 1872. However, it had been a decorative element on one of the preceding structures since 1523 and is the oldest fragment of a Leipzig bourgeois building facade. On the imposing courtyard wings in Barthels Hof the remains of the jib used to transport goods from the storerooms can still be seen. As early as the 16th century, fair exhibitors moved their trade into the courtyards. Barthels Hof is therefore an impressive witness to the commercial architecture of Leipzig. (source: Leipziger Messe)		weiterführende Links zu diesem Thema: > Sächsische Küche in Barthels Hof
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