Salzhof (Freistadt)
The listed Salzhof in Freistadt , Upper Austria is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The building was erected before the city was founded and was then the city's first princely castle. After the new castle was completed in 1395 , the castle served as a warehouse. From the middle of the 16th century, traders used the building as a salt deposit and it was given its current name - Salzhof. At the end of the 20th century, the city bought the building and converted it into a cultural and event center. The building, which was reopened in 2003, is the city's cultural center and also houses a state music school.
history
Before the city of Freistadt was founded around 1220, there was already a castle at the current location of the Salzhof. This was on an old, important north-south trade route ( Linzer Steig , Goldener Steig ) and is said to have existed as early as the 9th century, but no documents have survived from this time. Under the protection of the castle there was probably a street village from which part of today's old town of Freistadt emerged. After the completion of the city, the castle was on the west side, within the fortification walls.
The castle served the sovereign as accommodation and as the administrative seat of the dominion of Freistadt. From 1363 onwards, Duke Rudolf IV had a new castle built on the northeast corner of the city, which meant that the castle lost its importance and was called Altenhof in the following years . From 1395 the building served as a warehouse and for horse stables. After the death of Duke Albrecht III. in 1395 the castle also served as a widow's seat for the Duchess Beatrix von Zollern-Nürnberg.
In 1516 a large fire broke out near the Salzhof and cremated the entire city, which was just recovering from the last great city fire in 1507. The Salzhof was badly affected by these two fires. From 1563 the salt trade was in the hands of the Habsburgs , around 1648 the Altenhof became the salt deposit of the passing traders and the imperial salt office (for a short time), which is why the building was named Salzhof . Salt was stored here until the 1920s.
In 1815 a fire damaged the tower of the Salzhof, which was not rebuilt. From 1832 the salt was transported to Bohemia by horse-drawn railway and the salt yard lost its function. In 1850 the imperial salt office sold the building. A theater hall was then installed in the north wing, which was abandoned towards the end of the century and moved to Linzer Gasse (Gasthaus Kronberger). In the 20th century, the use of the building changed regularly and the Salzhof became dilapidated over time.
In 1997 the municipality bought the Salzhof with the help of the Province of Upper Austria and completely renovated the former castle with the help of the Federal Monuments Office. During the renovation, old toll slips from the 17th century were found, which at that time served as identification for the hauliers. The renovation cost around 5.2 million euros.
On June 14, 2003, the Salzhof was reopened as the city's cultural and event center. In November 2004, Governor Josef Pühringer presented the State Prize for Monument Preservation 2004 for the successful renovation.
Todays use
Today the Salzhof is the cultural center of the city. Exhibitions, concerts, theater performances, balls and some events on the local stage take place here. There are several rooms available in the building for up to 400 people, the most important of which is the Kulturhof with 311 square meters. An event hall with 170 square meters is available on the top floor, in which the public meetings of the municipal council take place. At 142 square meters, the foyer is the third largest room, with a total of up to 855 square meters available. More than 250 events take place in the Salzhof every year.
A state music school is located on the first floor and also uses the Salzhof for performances.
construction
The building stands out from the other town houses. While town houses on the street side are between three and six window axes wide, the Salzhof has eight window axes. Until the renovation, the Salzhof consisted of four, two-storey structures, which were arranged around a square inner courtyard. The western part is the oldest construction section of the building and is attached to the inner city wall including the current remainder of the Altenhofturm. During the renovation, the southern part was torn down and the inner courtyard roofed over to create a large event space, the Kulturhof.
The examination of the restoration revealed three historical furnishing variants of the building. The first variant is with the red and black border of the late Gothic windows from the 16th century. The second is a brick with bricks Fensterverdachung including volutes from the second half of the 18th century and the third early Baroque Secco painting , in reddish Caput mortuum held -Farbtönen. The latter variant was restored during the restoration and shows itself with wide window and door frames.
literature
- Federal Monuments Office Austria (Ed.): Dehio - Upper Austria Mühlviertel . Berger Verlag, Horn / Vienna 2003, ISBN 978-3-85028-362-5 , page 153ff
- Oskar Hille: Castles and palaces of Upper Austria . 2nd Edition. Wilhelm Ennsthaler, Steyr 1992, ISBN 3-85068-323-0 .
Web links
- The SALZHOF, culture and event center. Municipality of Freistadt.
- Salzhof Freistadt at the Federal Monuments Office.
- Bibliography on the Salzhof in the forum OoeGeschichte.at
Individual evidence
- ^ Municipality of Freistadt: Currently from the town hall. Official notification. 08/2003. KW December 51, 2003 (PDF; 1.46 MB), p. 1.
- ↑ Landesmusikschule Freistadt on lmsfreistadt.at.
Coordinates: 48 ° 30 ′ 44 ″ N , 14 ° 30 ′ 11 ″ E