5 Historically Significant Houses in Germany

German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) is generally regarded as one of the most important and influential Northern Renaissance artists. Inspired by the new techniques being developed in Italy, Dürer translated these into a Germanic tradition, becoming famous for his sets of woodcuts, although he was also a talented painter in oils and watercolors.

Built about 1420, the four-story house that was to become Dürer’s home was greatly enlarged with the addition of gables and large dormer windows in 1502. After much traveling—including two journeys to Italy—Dürer returned to the city of his birth and was at the height of his fame when he bought the house in 1509. He lived in the house until his death and shared it with his mother and his wife, Agnes, along with a collection of pupils and apprentices.

The first two floors were constructed from the sandstone typical of the area, and the other two storeys were half timbered. A large door—wide enough to admit a carriage—led into the ground floor, which acted as a work area and storage space. On the first floor was the kitchen, and above this were the living rooms as well as the studio and workshops where Dürer carried out his work.

During the 19th century, after a resurgence of interest in Dürer, the building was restored as a shrine to him and his art. The house was damaged by bombing in World War II but subsequently underwent a series of repairs and refurbishments that have transformed it into a working museum of the artist’s life and works. Located at the end of a street named after the artist, Dürer’s home has been carefully restored, complete with the kitchen and rooms displaying the artistic techniques of the time. Exhibition space and an annex are also part of the museum. (Adrian Gilbert)

In 1767 the court tenor of the elector of Cologne, Johann van Beethoven, and his wife moved into the garden wing of the house at Bonngasse 20, where Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was born. The accommodation in the house comprised a kitchen and utility room on the ground floor with a cellar underneath. On the floor above were three rooms in which the family lived. The Beethoven family stayed at this address for a few years before they left to look for larger accommodation in Bonn.

In 1889 the house was bought by the Beethoven-Haus Association and extensively renovated, to reopen in 1893 as a memorial to the composer. In the 1930s the neighboring house was acquired to hold an archive of documents and memorabilia associated with Beethoven. In the 1990s the house was again renovated, and a digital Beethoven-Haus was opened in 2004, providing visitors with an interactive experience of Beethoven’s work.

The house today contains the world’s largest private collection of his manuscripts, documents, and diaries. The museum also holds many portraits of Beethoven as well as musical instruments, furniture, and artifacts used by the composer. Among the musical instruments in the house’s collection are the organ console from the Minoritenkirche, played by Beethoven as a boy, and his last pianoforte, built by the Viennese manufacturer Conrad Graf. The museum is completed by a chamber music hall. (Adrian Gilbert)

In 1782 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) was invited to Weimar by Charles Augustus, duke of Saxe-Weimer-Eisenach. He moved into part of a former merchant’s house on the Frauenplan. In 1794 the duke gave the entire house to Goethe, who welcomed the extra space for his library, archives, and scientific studies.

Built in the Baroque style in 1709, the house comprised several reception rooms at the front, where Goethe entertained the many guests eager to converse with him. At the rear of the house were his workrooms, library, and sleeping quarters. There was also an extensive garden that included a small garden house sometimes used by Goethe. At Weimar he fulfilled a number of commissions for the royal court that included acting as a council member, a director of roads and services, and a financial manager of the courtly finances. In 1789 Christiane Vulpius moved in with Goethe as his mistress and, despite the attendant scandal, lived openly with him, eventually marrying him in 1806.

After the death of Goethe’s last grandchild in 1885, the house was taken over by the state as part of a large Goethe museum. The house was restored to appear as it did in Goethe’s time, and it includes his desk, where he stood to do his work. The regal public rooms are decorated with classical paintings, in contrast to the more homely setting of his workrooms. Other attractions include the nearby White Swan Inn, where he would entertain visitors, and the Duchess of Anna Amalia Library, which came under Goethe’s direction and contains nearly 10,000 books and 2,000 medieval manuscripts. (Adrian Gilbert)

Having secured the patronage of Louis II of Bavaria, the composer Richard Wagner (1813–83) was able to realize his dream of building a special theater (Festspielhaus) for the performance of his own operas. The Bavarian town of Bayreuth was chosen not only as the site for the opera house but as Wagner’s own residence. Wagner moved in on April 28, 1874, with his wife, Cosima (the daughter of Franz Liszt), and their family. Naming it Wahnfried, Wagner would spend the rest of his life there, completing the Ring Cycle in the house and starting on his final work, Parsifal. After Wagner’s death, his family continued to live in the house, and from there they directed the increasingly important annual Bayreuth Festival.

Many important figures were invited to the composer’s house, including the musicians Richard Strauss and Arturo Toscanini and, more controversially, Adolf Hitler. Haus Wahnfried was badly damaged during World War II and was taken over by U.S. forces in the postwar period. When the Americans left, the Wagner family returned to Wahnfried, but it was handed over to the town of Bayreuth in 1972. Since then the house has been restored to its former splendor. It contains many artifacts related to Wagner, several of his pianos, a restored library, and a small concert hall. The building also holds an archive of Wagner’s correspondence and the handwritten scores of his major works. (Adrian Gilbert)

The theologian and religious reformer Martin Luther (1483–1546) was still a monk when in 1508 he first visited this house, then an Augustinian monastery. The monastery was closed soon after, and when, in 1525, Luther married the former nun Katherina von Bora, Frederick III, elector of Saxony, allowed them to use the building as a family home. Their union effectively gave a seal of approval to clerical marriages, and the couple had six children together.

In keeping with its position as the largest and most important museum devoted to the Reformation, today Luther’s house contains an archive that includes 6,000 original manuscripts (some dating back to the 11th century), 15,000 books and pamphlets (some from Luther’s time), and a large collection of coins, medallions, and paintings. There are exhibitions devoted to the spread of Protestantism through Germany.

The museum also contains artifacts directly related to Luther and his family life. They include his monk’s robe, his Bible with notes written in the margins, part of the pulpit where he preached his reforming doctrines, a desk, bed, and stove, and some kitchen utensils. The house also contains the majestic Ten Commandments painted by Lucas Cranach, a contemporary and supporter of Luther. (Adrian Gilbert)