MarktstrasseGoslar is a district town in Lower Saxony on the north-western edge of the Harz Mountains, not far from the border with Saxony-Anhalt. The old town centre is considered an impressive example of historical urban architecture and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. The townscape is characterised by its rich half-timbered architecture, which dates from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Typical are eaves- or gable-fronted buildings with elaborately decorated façades, crippled hipped or gabled roofs, carved beam heads and moulded threshold architecture. The use of slate for roofing or façade cladding emphasises the regional building tradition, which is closely linked to mining and trade in the Harz region.
Our panorama of Marktstraße shows a street of five houses from Hoher Weg (left) to Schuhhof (right). Just a few metres further on, you come to the actual market square of the town of Goslar on the right.
Building architecture and history
The view begins on the right with the Schuhhof 7-8 building complex, a three- to four-storey half-timbered ensemble with a crippled hipped roof covered in slate. The joined houses form an eaves-standing corner building, which is gable-orientated towards Marktstraße. The visible half-timbered façade on the south side shows a design phase from the early 17th century. Elaborately carved parapet planks with fan rosettes and floral scrollwork can be found here, indicating a prestigious remodelling. The current tenant is the shop ‘LIFE Style – Geschenke Feinkost Tee’.
Opposite the market church is the Mechtshusen town house (Marktstraße 1), an important example of bourgeois architecture dating from 1526. The four-storey half-timbered building with a hipped roof and slate covering is designed as an eaves-standing corner house. Its façade is richly structured: A central, five-sided bay window sits above the main entrance, while the plank door features a pointed arch and curtain arch with figurative carvings. An inscription above the entrance states the year of construction: ‘ANNO MDXXVI’. The projecting upper storeys rest on moulded cleats with wind boards between the beam heads. The front side facing Marktstraße has a so-called ‘Goslar gable’. There has been a functional connection to the neighbouring building at Marktstraße 1a since 1881. The building was extended on the courtyard side in 1906/07 and served as the town library from 1919. It has since been converted into a hotel with the ‘Alte Münze’ restaurant.
The connected house at Marktstraße 1a is a three-storey half-timbered building with an eaves orientation and a slate-covered gable roof. The façade is also half-timbered and is complemented by a nappy hatch in the attic, which indicates that it was once used for storage purposes.
This is followed by the residential and commercial building at Marktstraße 2, also a three-storey, eaves-standing half-timbered building with a gable roof covered in slate. The façade is completely clad in slate, which contrasts with the neighbouring exposed half-timbering. The ground floor has been fitted with a shop since 1893. In the roof area, a loading hatch and the inscription ‘1697’ point to the long history of the building and its commercial origins. The tenant at the time of the photograph was the Kunze hairdressing salon.
The left end of the panorama is formed by the building at Marktstraße 3, a two-storey, eaves-standing half-timbered building with a tiled pitched roof. It is a classic residential and commercial building with a simple appearance that blends harmoniously into the ensemble. Here it is used by the Okiko sushi and grill restaurant.
This street along Marktstraße reflects the historical depth and architectural density of Goslar in its diversity and richness of detail – a vivid panorama of urban architecture between function, representation and craftsmanship.
Further information on the buildings can be found in the list of architectural monuments in Goslar – Marktstraße.
MarktstrasseGoslar is a district town in Lower Saxony on the north-western edge of the Harz Mountains, not far from the border with Saxony-Anhalt. The old town centre is considered an impressive example of historical urban architecture and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. The townscape is characterised by its rich half-timbered architecture, which dates from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Typical are eaves- or gable-fronted buildings with elaborately decorated façades, crippled hipped or gabled roofs, carved beam heads and moulded threshold architecture. The use of slate for roofing or façade cladding emphasises the regional building tradition, which is closely linked to mining and trade in the Harz region.
Our panorama of Marktstraße shows a street of five houses from Hoher Weg (left) to Schuhhof (right). Just a few metres further on, you come to the actual market square of the town of Goslar on the right.
Building architecture and history
The view begins on the right with the Schuhhof 7-8 building complex, a three- to four-storey half-timbered ensemble with a crippled hipped roof covered in slate. The joined houses form an eaves-standing corner building, which is gable-orientated towards Marktstraße. The visible half-timbered façade on the south side shows a design phase from the early 17th century. Elaborately carved parapet planks with fan rosettes and floral scrollwork can be found here, indicating a prestigious remodelling. The current tenant is the shop ‘LIFE Style – Geschenke Feinkost Tee’.
Opposite the market church is the Mechtshusen town house (Marktstraße 1), an important example of bourgeois architecture dating from 1526. The four-storey half-timbered building with a hipped roof and slate covering is designed as an eaves-standing corner house. Its façade is richly structured: A central, five-sided bay window sits above the main entrance, while the plank door features a pointed arch and curtain arch with figurative carvings. An inscription above the entrance states the year of construction: ‘ANNO MDXXVI’. The projecting upper storeys rest on moulded cleats with wind boards between the beam heads. The front side facing Marktstraße has a so-called ‘Goslar gable’. There has been a functional connection to the neighbouring building at Marktstraße 1a since 1881. The building was extended on the courtyard side in 1906/07 and served as the town library from 1919. It has since been converted into a hotel with the ‘Alte Münze’ restaurant.
The connected house at Marktstraße 1a is a three-storey half-timbered building with an eaves orientation and a slate-covered gable roof. The façade is also half-timbered and is complemented by a nappy hatch in the attic, which indicates that it was once used for storage purposes.
This is followed by the residential and commercial building at Marktstraße 2, also a three-storey, eaves-standing half-timbered building with a gable roof covered in slate. The façade is completely clad in slate, which contrasts with the neighbouring exposed half-timbering. The ground floor has been fitted with a shop since 1893. In the roof area, a loading hatch and the inscription ‘1697’ point to the long history of the building and its commercial origins. The tenant at the time of the photograph was the Kunze hairdressing salon.
The left end of the panorama is formed by the building at Marktstraße 3, a two-storey, eaves-standing half-timbered building with a tiled pitched roof. It is a classic residential and commercial building with a simple appearance that blends harmoniously into the ensemble. Here it is used by the Okiko sushi and grill restaurant.
This street along Marktstraße reflects the historical depth and architectural density of Goslar in its diversity and richness of detail – a vivid panorama of urban architecture between function, representation and craftsmanship.
Further information on the buildings can be found in the list of architectural monuments in Goslar – Marktstraße.
