Bernusbau

The Bernusbau is a Baroque city palace in Frankfurt am Main and part of the larger Saalhof complex. It stands beside the historic Rententurm tower.

The Bernus family built the palace between 1715 and 1717 after purchasing the old Saalhof in 1696. Bernhard Kirn, a Cistercian monk, designed the building.

Its gable façades echo the Friedrichsbau at Heidelberg Castle. Builders placed it along the old quay wall beside the Main River.

Heinrich and Johannes Bernus were successful cloth merchants who moved from Hanau to Frankfurt and acquired citizenship there. The family had earlier settled in Hanau as religious refugees from Italy.

Jakob Bernus, Heinrich’s only son, took over the Saalhof in 1725. The male line of the Bernus family later died out.

The Rententurm, Saalhof, Bernusbau and Burnitzbau are part of the Historical Museum of Frankfurt. The Bernusbau gives this museum complex a Baroque architectural landmark.

City: Frankfurt
Content updated: 2026-06-22

Image: Unknown authorUnknown authorPublic domain
Image: Carl Friedrich Fay (1853-1918)Public domain
Image: User:Mylius CC BY-SA 3.0
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