The Stone House (German: Steinernes Haus), also known as Haus Bornfleck in older literature, is a historic building in the old town of Frankfurt am Main. Its front faces the Markt, which connects the cathedral with the Römerberg. It stands out from other buildings in the old town, primarily due to its medieval architecture and its well-documented history. During the Second World War, the Steinerne Haus was almost completely destroyed by explosive bombs during air raids on Frankfurt am Main in March 1944. Nevertheless, it was reconstructed in the early 1960s as one of only a few Frankfurt architectural monuments, at great expense and relatively true to the original, distinguishing it from the simpler post-war buildings surrounding it. Today, the house is home to the Frankfurter Kunstverein.
History
History (Roman period to 1460) Excavations in the old town in 1906 and the 1950s revealed that the site of the Stone House was already developed in Roman times. Beneath the massive cellars of the building, constructed about 1,000 years later, archaeologists found strong wall remains attributed to a former estate. Roof tiles and slate slabs from the same period were also discovered. At that time, a tributary of the Main River, the Braubach, flowed above ground north of the site, roughly along the course of the modern street of the same name. The area south of it was strategically and economically significant, protected by the river as a natural border and benefiting from proximity to water, an essential resource for settlers.
The oldest written records documenting ownership of the Stone House and its predecessor buildings date to the late 13th century. Although most of these sources were lost during the Second World War, earlier researchers, particularly Johann Georg Battonn and Rudolf Jung, evaluated them to provide a detailed history of the house. In the second half of the 13th century, two narrow half-timbered houses stood on the site of what would later become the Stone House: the western Haus zum Rauchfaß and the eastern Haus Bornfleck. Both had their rear sides facing the Braubach, which served as the town moat, and their fronts facing the market square. The name Bornfleck suggests that a well (Born in Old German) once existed there. In 1280, Konrad Bornfleck was first documented as the owner of the house; he died by 1306. His mention as an assessor in a 1291 document indicates his prominence. The Archbishop of Mainz, Gerhard II, referred to him as his dear host in Frankfurt. His wife, Hedwig, was a daughter of Gypel von Holzhausen, one of Frankfurt’s prominent patrician families, suggesting Konrad moved in the city’s highest social circles. When Frankfurt was confirmed as the place of election for German emperors by the Golden Bull of 1356, the market was nicknamed Krönungsweg (Coronation Way) or via regia, as newly elected emperors traveled along it to the Roman cathedral to be honored by the people and the city council. This greatly increased the street’s importance in subsequent centuries, making the plots along it a preferred residence and building site for the nobility and wealthy bourgeoisie.
In 1360, the children of Kulmann Weiß von Limpurg were documented as owning the Bornfleck house and the neighbouring Haus zum Rauchfaß. The latter was first mentioned in a 1320 document as the surname of its then-owner, Konrad, who likely sold it to the children of the Limpurg family in the 1450s. In 1362, they divided the property by erecting a wall extending to the city moat. The Bornfleck house passed to Alheid, widow of Gypel Knoblauch, while the Rauchfaß house went to the other children of Kulmann Weiß von Limpurg. In 1374, Alheid sold the Bornfleck house for 1,600 guilders, and shortly afterwards, the Rauchfaß house was sold to her son-in-law, Peter Apothecker. From his family, the Bornfleck house passed to the Ergersheim family in 1410.
Period of origin and the Melem dynasty (1460 to 1708) In the mid-15th century, the wealthy cloth merchant Johann Dorfelder from Mainz, whose daughters were married to Klas von Rücklingen and Johann von Melem, acquired Haus Bornfleck. On 4 January 1462, Katharina, widow of Klas von Rücklingen and wife of Georg Breidenbach, sold the building to her brother-in-law and sister, Johann and Gredgen von Melem. On 21 April 1464, the new owners also acquired the Rauchfaß house from Johann Apothecker.
With both buildings in their possession, the Melem couple demolished them in October 1464 to merge the plots into a new building. The Lersner Chronicle provides a detailed account of these events:1464. On the Saturday before St. Galli Day [i.e., Saturday, 13 October], Johann von Melem built the house at Bornflecken on the Haber-Marckt; his son Johann von Melem [the Younger] laid the first stone and placed three Alturnes or Turonos on the stone for the workers to drink. This took place at the site opposite the smithies at 1 o’clock in the afternoon.Although modern historians view Lersner’s chronicle critically, an entry in the church register of St. Nicolaus Chapel largely confirms this information: In the year 1464, the house known as Bornflecken was demolished and rebuilt with stone and mortar. The house was located under the kremen [note: Krämergasse, medieval name for the market] between the old Guldenschaffe and Kursener Louben.The newly constructed building towered over the surrounding rooftops for nearly 500 years until the old town was destroyed in the Second World War in 1944. Adjacent to the Stone House, a courtyard complex of mainly two-story half-timbered houses was built to the north. It served as a residence for the domestic staff of the owners and as accommodation for guests attending the Frankfurt Trade Fair or coronation ceremonies. This complex, with significant buildings from the first half of the 15th century, remained intact until the early 20th century, when it was demolished for the construction of Braubachstraße.
The builder, Johann von Melem, was originally from Cologne. After marrying the daughter of Johann Dorfelder in 1454, he gained Frankfurt citizenship in 1456. The Melemsche Handelsgesellschaft (Melem Trading Company) he founded became one of Frankfurt’s most important companies by the end of the Middle Ages, making Johann one of the city’s wealthiest citizens. The Lower Rhine influences from Melem’s Cologne origins are reflected in the architecture of his building, as discussed in the architectural section of this article. After Johann’s death on 20 March 1484, his son, Johann von Melem the Younger, who had laid the first stone of the Stone House, succeeded him in managing the trading company. Unlike his father, he was also involved in city administration alongside his business activities. His career foreshadowed the future of his descendants, who increasingly lived off the family’s wealth and land holdings, focusing on politics rather than commerce. In 1486, he joined the patrician society Zum Frauenstein, and from 1511 until his death in 1529, he served on the city council, even acting as junior mayor in 1516. The Stone House remained in the family for generations. Ogier von Melem, son of Johann von Melem the Younger, joined the patrician society Alten Limpurg in 1522 after marrying Brun von Brunfels. This marked the Melem family’s establishment among Frankfurt’s highest social ranks within 60 years of arriving in the city. Ogier, who died in 1575, and his son of the same name, who died in 1611, heavily mortgaged the house. In 1607, the latter, Ogier von Melem, sold his half of the house for 2,040 guilders to the guardians of Juliane Margarete Steffan, who married Johann Philipp Weiß von Limpurg in 1610. The other half was already owned by Juliane, granddaughter of one of Ogier’s sisters.
In 1642, Johann Philipp Weiß handed the house to his son-in-law, Johann Hektor von Holzhausen, in exchange for an annual payment of 250 guilders. After his father-in-law’s death in 1644, the house became his property. He was succeeded by his son, Johann Maximilian. His death in 1708 marked the end of an era in which the Stone House passed through family ties alone. Nearly 50 years earlier, the Melem family had died out with Philipp Ludwig von Melem, who died in 1654 as Frankfurt’s envoy to the Imperial Diet in Regensburg.
From joint ownership to municipal property (1708 to 1898) In 1708, the six remaining heirs established a joint estate. Among them were prominent families: Maria Sibylla Ruland (née Glauburg), Anna Sibylla von Holzhausen (née von Lersner), Johann Philipp von Stalburg, Johann Hieronymus, and Justinian von Holzhausen.
As evidenced by its last Holzhausen owner, the estate primarily rented the building to middle-class families for income and no longer used it as a residence. Among the many tenants over the next two centuries, one from the 18th century stands out: around 1750, the French painting and drawing teacher Roland established an art school in the building, notable for its exceptionally free teaching style. Goethe’s sister, Cornelia, is likely the most famous documented pupil of the institution. When renting became difficult in the early 19th century due to the declining importance of the old town, the joint owners allowed tenants to sublet vacant rooms independently. Two developments contributed to this decline: the French occupation and the blockade of trade with England, combined with industrialisation, reduced the traditional trade fair business to an economically insignificant annual market within decades. Additionally, the fall of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in 1806 ended imperial coronations and associated celebrations. Tax records from the time illustrate the economic impact: during Johann Hektor von Holzhausen’s ownership, regular rents yielded 172 guilders and 30 kreuzers, while renting to trade fair visitors brought in 325 guilders, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the building’s income. Renting out front rooms with excellent market views during coronations was also lucrative, as owners reserved this right in all rental agreements. Despite these challenges, the building served as a meeting place in 1848 and 1849 for the conservative faction of the Frankfurt National Assembly, which convened in the nearby Paulskirche. Under Joseph von Radowitz, the Ultramontanes, including notable figures like Ignaz von Döllinger, August Reichensperger, and Beda Weber, gathered regularly to discuss church and school issues.
By the mid-19th century, during the Wilhelminian construction boom on the city’s outskirts, the Stone House and the old town fell into disrepair, suffering significant damage to their exterior and interior decoration. Until then, it had remained largely unchanged since the 15th century. With road construction and the demolition of medieval buildings in the old town, the Melem family’s Frankfurt home was at greater risk than ever.
From municipal property to the Second World War (1898 to 1944) In the 1880s, the city of Frankfurt began acquiring significant civic buildings in the old town and restoring them to prevent further decay and preserve them as architectural monuments. Examples include the Haus zur Goldenen Waage (purchased in 1898, restored in 1899, destroyed in 1944) and the Große und Kleine Engel (purchased and restored in 1906, destroyed in 1944, reconstructed in 1982).