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Mauthalle (Former Customs House)

Former Customs House (Mauthalle) in Nuremberg

When city architect Hans Beheim demolished the inner Frauentor in 1498 (since ca 1250 the penultimate city wall had run along here), a granary was built into the former moat. It was the largest (84 x 20 x 29 m) of the 12 civic storehouses which guaranteed food supplies in times of crisis. The three-storey sandstone structure had a five-storey dormer bay in its gabled roof. On the narrow ends, carts could be driven inside. Roof-top hoists facilitated the storing of goods. The eastern gable is decorated by a network of blind ogee arches; the lancet-arched portal bears the city’s coat-of-arms (Adam Kraft, 1502).
After 1572, the granary also served as weighhouse and customhouse (Maut = toll). Since 1897/98, commercial use. During restoration in 1953, the half-timbered dormer was reconstructed in plastered masonry. The impressive cellar (26 pillars) now houses a restaurant.