Württemberger Hof (inn)

The Württemberger Hof around 1900

The Württemberger Hof was a historic inn in the old town of Frankfurt am Main . It existed from 1598, initially under the name Zum Goldenen Löwen , until 1937 in Fahrgasse . In 1848 it served as the meeting place and namesake of the parliamentary group of the same name in the Frankfurt National Assembly .

history

The Golden Lion Inn was built in 1598. The lane was then one of the main arteries of Frankfurt's Old Town. It was a spacious property with two inner courtyards for the cramped conditions of the old town. Immediately south of the inn was the Johanniterhof , a former commander of the Order of St. John .

From May to July 1753, the philosopher Voltaire was forced to stay as a guest at the Golden Lion . The Prussian King Friedrich II had instructed the Frankfurt Council to arrest the prominent guest with whom he had previously fallen out. A Frankfurt creditor of Voltaire, the bookseller van Düren, wanted to take the opportunity to collect a debt that had been in existence for 13 years, but was resigned with a slap in the face by Voltaire's secretary, Collini . Voltaire was released after five weeks, but had to reimburse the hotelier for his expenses of 190 guilders , which was roughly half the annual salary of an official. His cash and some of his luggage had also been confiscated.

In 1839 the Golden Lion Inn was renamed the Württemberger Hof . From June 1848 the members of the parliamentary group of the left center of the German National Assembly (Frankfurt Paulskirchenparlament) met here. As was customary at the time, the parliamentary group was also named "Württemberger Hof" after its place of assembly. In 1937 it was demolished in the course of the renovation of the medieval district around the Hainer Hof . The only remains that still exist today are the baroque lion fountain from 1781 and the former pub sign, a sandstone relief from around 1750.

Coordinates: 50 ° 6 ′ 42 ″  N , 8 ° 41 ′ 9 ″  E