Friedemann-Bach-Haus

Description

In the historic centre of Halle (Saale) stands the Wilhelm-Friedemann-Bach-Haus, in which the Stiftung Händel-Haus has presented the exhibition "Musikstadt Halle" since 30 May 2012, thereby conveying the musical history of the city on the Saale through figures from the local musical life who are significant beyond the region.

The building is located at Große Klausstraße 12 and traces its origins to a bathhouse erected in 1554 that encompassed house, courtyard and garden on the corner plot. The composer Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, who served from 1746 to 1764 as music director and organist at the Marktkirche Unser Lieben Frauen, moved in 1762 or 1763 from Große Nikolaistraße into a "Quartier der Clausbadstube" on this property.

What remains today is primarily the wing of the half-timbered building facing Große Klausstraße, comprising a cellar, ground floor and first upper floor, including a traditional Bohlenstube. The section oriented toward the Saale was demolished in 1834 because of dilapidation and rebuilt in its place along the present-day Hallorenring. When house numbering began in 1855 the property was initially listed as Große Klausstraße 18; it did not receive the current number 12 until the mid-1980s.

In the 19th century a vertical extension in 1874 altered the appearance of the Renaissance wing, while the formerly steeper roof with dormer and roof window was retained. Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries the corner house accommodated changing commercial enterprises and a tavern ("Zum goldenen Hahn"). Between the 1940s and the 1980s major investments were lacking, so that by the 1980s there was a considerable need for renovation. An initial comprehensive repair took place from 1987 to 1989; from 2009 to 2012 the building was restored in accordance with heritage preservation standards and prepared for its present use.