Schrickelsches Haus

On a crisp autumn day in 1813, a lone figure stood before the Schrickelsches Haus. This figure, Ernst Moritz Arndt, a renowned German patriot, found refuge within the walls of this grand baroque house. Schrickelsches Haus, located on the southeast corner of the Untermarkt in Görlitz, silently witnessed the unfolding of history. Built in 1729 for Christian Ameiss, a wealthy trader, it replaced two breweries lost to a city fire. The house, designed in the Leipzig “Durchhaus” style, boasts a central courtyard that pierces through from front to back. Imagine the Ameiss family within these walls, surrounded by baroque furnishings and gazing up at the vibrant stucco ceilings. Decades later, the house became a hub of intellectual and social activity under Karl Gottlob von Anton, co-founder of the Upper Lusatian Society of Sciences. The society, established in 1804, transformed Schrickelsches Haus into a sanctuary of knowledge. Its library, a treasure trove of 140,000 volumes, houses medieval manuscripts and incunabula. One can almost smell the aged paper and leather, feel the weight of history in each carefully preserved book. The oldest, a handwritten codex from the 11th century, whispers tales of a time long past. Schrickelsches Haus also held a secret. It was home to the Freemason’s Lodge “Zur gekrönten Schlange” (To the crowned serpent). A “black room” on the second floor served as the stage for their initiation rites. The society’s vast collection, including scientific instruments, textiles, and archaeological finds, filled the rooms, each artifact a testament to a bygone era. Sadly, during WWII, many precious books were moved across the Neisse River for safekeeping, a journey that ultimately separated them from the library as the river became a new border. Today, Schrickelsches Haus stands as a proud reminder of Görlitz’s rich history. From a wealthy trader’s home to a center of learning and secret societies, the Schrickelsches Haus has absorbed the stories of the city. Its walls echo with the whispers of centuries past.