Haus Balchem
The only surviving Baroque house in the Severinsviertel, its statement bay window on Corinthian columns still turns heads on Severinstraße today.
Alongside the Severinstorburg gate and St. Severin church, Haus Balchem is one of the landmarks of the quarter, affectionately known locally as "Em Balge."
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Townhouse of medieval origin, remodeled in Baroque style in the 17th century
- Location
- Severinstraße 15, Cologne-Altstadt-Süd, opposite the garden of St. Severin parish church
- Façade
- Bay window on Corinthian columns, tall curved volute gable
- Plot/living space
- 531 m² plot, 915 m² living space
- Heritage status
- Listed monument since 1 July 1980
- Current use
- Neighborhood branch of the Cologne City Library
When the house was rebuilt after wartime destruction, original staircases, floors and doors from other demolished Cologne townhouses were installed inside it – including a spiral staircase from the Rinkenhof, torn down in 1911, which had never been part of the building before.
History
The site originally held a blacksmith's forge, already about 150 years old when Cologne brewmaster and council member Heinrich Deutz bought it in 1670. Legend has it Deutz wanted a view of the Rhine from his house to watch the trading ships. By 1676 he had transformed the plain building into a Baroque townhouse and opened the tavern "Zum goldenen Bären" on the ground floor, a meeting place for councilmen and guild masters. After his death in 1697, his heirs continued running it as the "Deutzer Brauhaus."
From Brewery to Namesake
After several changes of ownership, the Balchem brothers gave the house its current name, running the "Bierbrauerei Balchem" and later the "Kartäuser-Bräu Gebrüder Balchem" (1884–1921), with a modern brewhouse built in the back courtyard. In 1922 the Balchem, Schmitz, and Hubertus breweries merged to form the "Kölner Union Brauerei," renamed "Hubertus-Brauerei" in 1938. The upper floors, once used for storage, were converted into apartments in 1935.
Architecture
Above the entrance, a bay window on Corinthian columns—rare enough to have required a special permit—served as a status symbol and remains, per Wikipedia, an exceptionally rare survivor of old Cologne's streetscape. The building also features Cologne's typical suspended mezzanine floor. Renovation work later revealed that the vaulted cellars beneath the plot were originally designed for three separate houses, which Deutz combined into one.
Destruction and Reconstruction
On 6 April 1944 the building burned down to its outer walls. The city of Cologne acquired it in 1954 and decided to rebuild it as a monument; lacking precise records, the gable was reconstructed from drawings and the façade restored almost true to the original. Staircases, floors, and doors salvaged from other old Cologne townhouses—including a spiral staircase from the demolished Rinkenhof—furnished the rebuilt interior, and the lower floors reopened as a tavern, now called "Zum goldenen Löwen."
Today
Since 13 October 1975 the house has served as a neighborhood library, with the upper floors used for events by the adult education center. Closed for renovation from 2013 to 2017, it was later leased by the city to private leaseholders under a ground lease. Very few historic townhouses survive in Cologne today, among them "Haus Saaleck" Am Hof, the "Weinkrüger" on Marsplatz, and "Zum Seil" in Lintgasse.
Timeline
- 1670Heinrich Deutz buys the old smithy
- 1676Baroque renovation of the house completed
- 1697Heinrich Deutz dies
- 1884–1921Kartäuser-Bräu Gebrüder Balchem operates brewery
- 1935Upper floor converted into apartments
- 1944House burns down to its outer walls
- 1954City of Cologne acquires house and decides on reconstruction as monument
- 1975District library moves into Haus Balchem
Map
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Sources & links
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-09-18
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