Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Kornspeicher, or attic of abundance, is a medieval building built in 1441 in Strasbourg on Place Broglie. This five-storey pink brick building was initially used to store about four thousand rezeaux of wheat and housed forty-eight hand-mills on the ground floor. Its architecture is marked by foothills and ogival bays, characteristic of the 15th century.

Over the centuries, the Kornspeicher has undergone several changes. In the 16th century, a second row of pillars was added. Between the 18th and 20th centuries, parts of the building were destroyed (1767, 1804, 1941), leaving only a third of the original structure, mainly the western part. After the bombing of 1870, this section was rearranged.

Today, the Kornspeicher is used as a storage space for the sets and costumes of the Strasbourg Opera, as well as for rehearsal rooms. It was listed as a historic monument in 1999, recognizing its heritage importance. The building is owned by the municipality of Strasbourg.

Its initial construction reused the remains of the enclosure of the Roman castrum in Strasbourg, testifying to the reappropriation of ancient structures by medieval builders. Despite partial destruction, the medieval facade, classified, remains a remarkable example of the 15th century Alsatian civil architecture.

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