FOR ALMOST 300 YEARS
Historic building in Korbach's old town
History of the ‘Zur Waage’ inn
In the middle of the market square, the historic centre of Korbach’s old town, stands one of the largest and most impressive half-timbered houses in the city: the ‘Zur Waage’ inn. The old town hall used to stand on this site before the city of Korbach had the current building constructed in 1730.
The building was already an important public place in the Middle Ages: an inn had always been operated in the cellar, and in the 14th and 15th centuries, the count’s district court and later feudal and free courts met here. Even today, an inscription on the façade reminds us of the duty to act justly and impartially in the judicial system.
NO PERSON SHOULD BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN COURT, BUT THE SMALL AND THE GREAT SHOULD BE HEARD. DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANYONE, FOR THE COURT IS GOD’S: IN THE YEAR AFTER THE BIRTH OF CHRIST 1730, ON 20 SEPTEMBER.
The name ‘Zur Waage’ (The Scales) ties in with this history: on the one hand, the scales are a symbol of justice, and on the other hand, the municipal weighmaster performed his duties here on market days. As a member of the Hanseatic League, Korbach was an important trading centre for goods, which were weighed here and measured with the Korbach city ell.
The prestigious building was also severely damaged in the great fire of 1664. Parts of the old vaulted cellar, the foundation walls and the south wall of the ground floor were preserved during the reconstruction. A two-storey half-timbered building with projecting gables was erected on this foundation – one of the largest houses in Korbach with its impressive dimensions.
Around 1760, Dr. Varnhagen reported that there were stocks on one corner of the house, ‘in which criminals to be put on public display are locked up’.
In the 19th century, the house passed into the private ownership of innkeeper Louis Frese and was converted into a brewery and restaurant. When he died in 1889, his son Georg Frese took over the brewery, malt house, residential building and associated properties.
After several changes of ownership (1901 brewer Oskar Greiner, 1905 hop merchant Sauer from Kassel – Greiner remained the tenant, 1907 restaurateur Ernst Metz from Zennern, 1914 Berta and Karoline Becker from Schweinsbühl, 1931 restaurateur Friedrich Gerland from Ersen, 1954 restaurateur Karl Holzhaus from Kassel as tenant), the building was acquired by farmer Hermann Schultze from Korbach in 1967. Hermann Schultze Jr. has been running the business since 1977, preserving the long tradition of hospitality at the ‘Zur Waage’ inn – today a cosy hotel and restaurant in Korbach’s old town.
