Maison Kammerzell – The old Braun house

One of the great food palaces of Strasbourg

The building, right next to the Cathedral, is a gem of Renaissance architecture. The carvings, which take their inspiration from both secular and religious sources, bear eloquent witness to the cultural aspirations of a rich 16th century Strasbourg merchant.

The building’s current appearance dates back to 1589, when local cheese-merchant Martin Braun brought in corbelled upper floors, while keeping the stone-built ground floor, which dated back to 1467. The 3 upper floors of the half- timber house feature a whole series of leadlight windows, which sparkle in the darkness once night descends. The building can boast an extraordinary profusion of paintwork and carving, with both secular and religious themes.

Richly-decorated facades, facing the Cathedral

While each of the 2 facades possesses its own iconographic cycle, the corner posts stand out with their depiction of the theological virtues – faith, hope and charity. The western facade features the 9 male and the 9 female Worthies, in groups of three by three, based on their period or Christian or Jewish origins. The final part of the cycle comprises 17 musicians. The gable wall facing the Cathedral shows the figure of man, the centre of humanism. 10 male characters symbolise the 10 ages of human life, while the 5 senses are represented by female characters.

Léo Schnug’s allegorical frescoes

In 1905, when the building became a restaurant, local artist Léo Schnug was asked to take care of the interior decoration. The result was Schnug’s masterpiece, a series of lavish frescoes in which he gave free rein to the obsessions that shaped his tormented existence – anxiety (am Fischertor), alcoholism (the punishment of Tantalus), death (condemned prisoner’s last meal) and madness (Sebastian Brant’s Ship of Fools). Shnug also took it upon himself to add bucolic scenes from village life, in which are hidden a number of interesting self portraits.

The internal and external decorations offer a rich, harmonious picture, and are a major attraction of one of Strasbourg’s great food palaces, with its unrivalled view upon the Cathedral.