Kramer-Witwen-Wohnung
Museum apartment in the Krameramtsstuben of 1676 near the Michel church: a widow's apartment furnished with 19th-century household goods.
About the museum
In 1676 the Krameramt, the guild of Hamburg retailers of spices, fabrics and hardware founded in 1375, had two rows of small half-timbered terraced houses built below the main church of St. Michaelis. The rent-free apartments served as retirement housing for the widows of deceased guild members and at the same time freed up their shops for new merchants. Thanks to converted attics, the complex could house up to 20 women.
After the guilds were dissolved in 1866, the city continued to house elderly women in the buildings. The last residents moved out in the late 1960s; by 1974 the complex had been renovated under the supervision of the heritage preservation office, and since then the houses have been home to small shops and restaurants.
In 1974 the Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte took over one apartment and furnished it with furniture from Hamburg shopkeepers' households of the mid-19th century. Spread over two floors with a tiny kitchen, a small living room and a "gute Stube" (front parlor) with a bed alcove, it shows the cramped yet middle-class way of life of the time. Today this branch belongs to the Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg.
Highlights
- One of the last surviving 17th-century Hamburg residential courtyard complexes
- Original floor plan with kitchen, living room and "gute Stube" (front parlor) on two floors
- Alcove bed niche in the front parlor
- Wall decoration in historic stencil painting
- Spiral chimneys on the row of houses on Krayenkamp
Permanent exhibitions
- Kramer-Witwen-Wohnung – One of the widows' apartments from 1676 is furnished with furniture from Hamburg shopkeepers' households of the mid-19th century and shows the living conditions of the urban middle class.
- Founded
- 1974
- Operated by
- Stiftung Historische Museen Hamburg (Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
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| Reduced | €2.50School and vocational school students aged 18 and over, university students, apprentices, unemployed people, social welfare recipients, FSJ (voluntary social year) participants, people with severe disabilities, holders of the Hamburg Card, groups of 10 or more |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Children and teens under 18 free |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2.50companion free · Discount with a disability rating (GdB) of 50 or more |
| Students & apprentices | €2.50 |
| Groups (10+ people) | €2.50 per personReduced price for groups of 10 or more |
| Families | –No family ticket; under 18 free |
Free admission for, among others, members of the press and members of the Deutscher Museumsbund, ICOM, BVGD, the SHMH friends' associations, the Verein für Hamburgische Geschichte, the BBK and the Deutscher Verband für Kunstgeschichte.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: not available
- Accessible restroom: not available
- Accessible parking: not available
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: not available
- Audio description: no information
Assessed under the "Reisen für Alle" scheme ("Information zur Barrierefreiheit" label, 2022 report): 25 m approach through a courtyard passage with a gradient of up to 10.5%, one step at the entrance, very steep stairs with short steps and a handrail on one side only to the upper floors, passageways in places only 45 cm wide, no public restroom, no written information about the exhibits.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
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- Stroller-friendly: not available
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Michaeliskirche
Bus 17 to Michaeliskirche
By car
Parking available
Parking right in front of the museum; no separate accessible parking space.
- Accessible parking: not available
Amenities & dining
The restaurant "Krameramtsstuben" is located in the row of buildings (not part of the museum).
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | Small branch of the Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte; access is through a wooden gate into the passage between the rows of houses. |
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