City
Kaiserslautern sights 4
By
Nov 26, 2004, 19:46

St Martin's Square		St Martin's Platz Undoubtedly the most picturesque square in Kaiserslautern.  Its 18th and 19th century buildings include, at no. 1, the former hotel 'Zum Donnersberg', in which Napoleon once took breakfast, and, at no. 3, the building used as town hall from 1809 to 1968 and still carries the city's coat of arms above the door.
Steinstrasse 'Stone Street' gets its name from the red sandstone on which the old city of Kaiserslautern was founded and is today a mix of restored, historic buildings, pubs and bars. So, a walk down Steinstrasse is a good opportunity to take in a bit of culture and to have a few beers in the process!		The Theodor Zink Museum
Some of the interesting buildings amongst the 30+ restaurants and bars include: an imposing 4-storey house at no. 15, with facets of art nouveau (Jugendstil) design on its facade; a mid-19th century building at no. 49 in the style of a 16th century Italian villa; and a former wine tavern at no. 51.
Wadgasserhof		If you can drag yourself all the way along Steinstrasse, you'll come to the Theodor Zink Museum at no. 48 and the Wadgasser Hof at no. 55. The Theodor Zink Museum is a large former tavern that now houses a museum covering regional culture and the history of the city (entry to this bit is free!).
The museum includes a model of the town in 1625, a couple of old coaches and various artefacts from the brewing trade.  Open 9-5 Tues-Fri and 10-6 at the weekend. The Wadgasserhof was first mentioned in 1216, built and run by monks from Wadgassen to store the produce of their lands in Kaiserslautern before transporting it back to Wadgassen.  The oldest part of the estate today is a chapel converted in 1475.  The building features some fine stucco ceilings, plus furniture, ceramic, glass and metallic objects from the 18th centruty.  Opening times are as for the Theodor Zink Museum.

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