---
title: The Goldsmith's House in Hanau
author: Irina-Maria Manea
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17320/the-goldsmiths-house-in-hanau/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2023-05-02
---
# The Goldsmith's House in Hanau
_Authored by [Irina-Maria Manea](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/irinamaria.manea/)_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/17320.jpg)
## Image Caption
The German Goldsmith's House (Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus) in Hanau, Hesse, is one of the most important historical buildings in Hanau's old town and initially served as the town hall. The construction of the building began in 1537/38. With the founding of the new town in 1597, the Dutch and Walloons settled there, including numerous goldsmiths. They joined together in 1610 to form the goldsmiths' and silversmiths' guild, thereby establishing the heyday of goldsmithing in Hanau in the second half of the 18th century. Last but not least, the "Hanau Academy of Drafting" founded in 1772 was also involved in this development, which made qualified training as a [gold](https://www.worldhistory.org/gold/)- and silversmith possible from 1889. As early as 1900, the use of the goldsmith's house as a town hall was given up and the Hanau Historical Association set up a museum on the town's history.
The building owes its current function as the German Goldsmiths' House to the Berlin jeweller and goldsmith Ferdinand Richard Wilm (1880-1971), who recommended that the [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) of Hanau set up a centre for precious [metal](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/metal/) art in the former town hall and actually received support for his project from the highest level of the NSDAP. In March 1945, the building fell victim to a bomb attack. During the reconstruction in 1958, the premises of the house were completely adapted for use as an exhibition space for German and international jewellery and device design. From July 1981, the museum underwent a major interior renovation. It was reopened on 23 October 1982 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the goldsmith's house.
#### Editorial Review
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## Bibliography
- [Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst](https://www.goldschmiedehaus.com/ "Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst")
## About the Author
A curious and open mind, fascinated by the past. Historian with a keen interest in Norse myth and the Viking Age, as well as history teacher and language instructor. Originally from Bucharest, Romania, now residing in Hesse, Germany.
- [Facebook Profile](https://www.facebook.com/irinaskuld)
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinamariamanea/)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Manea, I. (2023, May 02). The Goldsmith's House in Hanau. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Manea, Irina-Maria. "The Goldsmith's House in Hanau." *World History Encyclopedia*, May 02, 2023. .
### MLA
Manea, Irina-Maria. "The Goldsmith's House in Hanau." *World History Encyclopedia*, 02 May 2023, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Irina-Maria Manea](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/irinamaria.manea/ "User Page: Irina-Maria Manea"), published on 02 May 2023. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.