Kammerzell House

Right next to the cathedral, there’s the famous Kammerzell house. It owes its name to the Kammerzell grocer who lived there in the 19th century. Quite impressive to look at! While the ground floor dates back to the 15th century, the exuberant upper floors are the work of a wealthy cheese merchant who was a tad megalomaniacal. His name was Martin Braun and he bought the building. Back then, there were no building permits to stand in the way of your ideas and ambitions. So our friend Martin here left no wall uncarved! If you take a closer look, you’ll discover dozens of carvings, yet their quality isn’t exceptional for the time. As a matter of fact, with the Protestant Reformation in full swing and with figurative representations being frowned upon, sculptors, painters and other religious artists had moved away, and Martin had to settle for somewhat more basic craftsmen. Well, the end result still has people talking, even today! Take a good look at the façades. The one facing the cathedral depicts the stages of life, the five senses and the twelve signs of the zodiac. The other façade is more religious. You’ll see 16 musicians, 3 allegories of virtue and Catholic saints. You’ll also see the Nine Worthy Men and Women, the heroes and heroines who embodied chivalric ideals in medieval Europe. On the façades, you’ll also find important historical figures such as Caesar and Charlemagne. Meanwhile, on the gable, you can still see the pulley used to hoist supplies to the attic. After passing through the hands of several owners, the city of Strasbourg, with the help of the Oeuvre Notre-Dame foundation, acquired the house in 1879 and restored it. It has housed a restaurant since 1938 and remains today, alongside the cathedral, the city’s oldest building still in use. It is listed as a historical monument and it’s included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, along with the rest of Strasbourg’s old town.