Nassauer Haus

The Nassauer Haus at Karolinenstraße 2 in Nuremberg's Lorenz Old Town is the last surviving medieval residential tower in the city. The building, made of red Burgsandstein sandstone, dates originally from the 13th century, when fortified patrician towers in German imperial cities served as status symbols and as protection for merchandise. Today Gothic stylistic elements shape its appearance, especially the upper floors from the 15th century, whose regular ashlar masonry sets them apart from the more finely detailed structure of the lower stories. The tower stands opposite the famous St. Lorenz Church and rises distinctively above its surroundings with its pyramid-shaped hipped roof and its corner turrets topped with pointed spires.

The building's history is closely tied to Nuremberg's patrician class. After early owners such as the Volckamer and Ortlieb families, who had the tower decorated with a splendid frieze of coats of arms around 1433, it passed in 1581 to the Schlüsselfelder von Kirchensittenbach family. They used the house as their ancestral seat until 1709, when it passed into the hands of the Schlüsselfelder family foundation, which still exists today. The frieze of coats of arms on the tower shows a remarkable series of sovereign emblems, including the arms of the prince-electors, the pope, and the King of the Romans, as well as Nuremberg's two city coats of arms, making the building an early example of such symbolic displays.

For visitors, the house offers insight into the city's history and architecture. The hall-like cellar with its irregular groined rib vaulting is now used as a tavern. On the third floor (second floor above ground level) there is a banquet hall distinguished by a Rococo stucco ceiling that originally came from another Nuremberg building. Although the tower was badly damaged in the bombing raids of 1945, with the roof and parts of the upper floors destroyed, it was carefully rebuilt between 1950 and 1954. Today the Nassauer Haus is an impressive testament to Nuremberg's medieval city fortifications and patrician heritage.