Salzhaus

Salzhaus stands on Römerberg in Frankfurt’s Altstadt as the northeastern part of the Römer city hall complex. Its name recalls the salt trade once carried out there.

First documented in 1324, the building occupied a site associated with two narrow half-timbered houses. The original structure rose above a red sandstone ground floor.

Its carved gable façade combined half-timbering, late Gothic proportions and Renaissance decoration in a richly crafted civic building. War damage left parts of the stone basement.

A modern reinforced-concrete building replaced the upper structure during the early 1950s, while the historic base remained. Limestone cladding frames the windows.

A glass mosaic by Wilhelm Geißler marks the eastern side and reflects post-war ideas of development and departure. The Salzhaus houses part of Frankfurt’s city administration.

Its ground floor contains a tourist information centre, connecting the surviving historic fabric with present-day civic use. Römerberg places the building within Frankfurt’s old town.