Galerie im Kunsthoken

Description

In the historic centre of Quedlinburg the Kunsthoken occupies a prominent position north of the market square; the listed half-timbered house is located at Marktstraße 2 and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is currently used by the Kultur- und Kunstverein Quedlinburg.

The two-storey building was erected in the Renaissance style around the mid to late 16th century (circa 1535–1576) and is recorded in the Quedlinburg register of historic monuments as a merchant's house. Michael Arendt (also Michel Arent) is named as the patron; the exact year of construction is not documented. The house was built directly on the historic market wall, remnants of which are still preserved inside, and shows a conspicuous change in the building line: the upper floor on the right, northern side projects markedly forward and originally formed, together with rounded head braces, a round arch; beneath this projection there was once a gateway passage to the courtyard. Exterior walls served as the load-bearing structure, supplemented by two transverse girders.

Particularly noteworthy is the richly decorated façade: a bracket frieze, cylindrical beam ends, fan rosettes on the corner posts and — as a unique feature in Quedlinburg — carved arches. The storey sill features concave mouldings; the black-and-white colour scheme corresponds to the period-typical paintwork. A two-line inscription was placed on the mezzanine, parts of which, including a date, were destroyed in the 19th century during the installation of a roller shutter. Around 1880 the ground floor received its present shopfront in the late Neoclassical style.

The interior of the building was heavily altered over the centuries and stood vacant for a lengthy period in the 20th century. In 1976/77 a comprehensive renovation and conversion was carried out by state workshops for monument preservation; older walls and the façade were retained, while some sections were rebuilt in solid construction. Archaeological investigations in the courtyard annex uncovered remains of an older house, a high wall with narrow openings, a doorway and a chimney.

After the renovation the Kulturbund der DDR used the house; a gallery was created on the ground floor, offices on the mezzanine and a caretaker's flat on the upper floor. This cultural use gave rise to the now common name Kunsthoken, Hoken referring to the neighbouring street and its historic small traders. On the southern side of the courtyard there is a side wing with a sandstone wall and narrow light slits; remains of a chimney and a door can be seen on the western gable. During the restoration only the sandstone walls were retained in the wing, the half-timbering on the courtyard side was newly constructed and the mezzanine removed; the wing's two storeys have since served as event rooms.