Alsfeld's stone splendor!Construction of the Minnigerode House

Johann Ludwig von Minnigerode, Chief Forest Master in the service of the Landgrave, purchased a property in 1687 that had formerly been owned by the old noble Alsfeld families Schaufuß, von Gilsa, and von Rotzmaul. He had it demolished to build a significant stone structure—the first private stone house in the city.

In just two years, a stately Baroque house was built on Ritterstraße, measuring 20 meters in length with a side length of 28 meters along Forsthofgasse. Due to its location and its owner, the L-shaped representative building was popularly known as the “Forsthof.” It impresses with a sandstone entrance portal that is slightly angled to allow a view toward the marketplace. Above the left column stands Justitia; next to her, on the bay window below the two windows, is the alliance coat of arms of the two families: the fishhook of the von Minnigeroda and the ladder of the von Oeyenhausen. In the pointed gable below a figure representing virtue, the family motto is inscribed (“I am pressed, but not oppressed”). Typical of the Baroque style, the bay window is decorated with rich ornamentation on the brackets, parapets, and window frames, as well as bold cherub heads.

This town palace of the Chief Forest Master, along with the neighboring Neurath House, is the most significant private residential building in the city and has been the home of the museum since 1977. (MNic)