Lintgasse is an alley

Alley

An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane found in urban areas, often for pedestrians only, which usually runs between or behind buildings. In older cities and towns in Europe, alleys are often what is left of a medieval street network, or a right of way or ancient footpath in an urban setting...

  in the Old town

Old Town

Old Town is the typical designation of a historic or original core of a city or town. Although the city may be larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations...

 of Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 between the two squares of Alter Markt and Fischmarkt. It is a pedestrian zone and only some 130 metres long, nevertheless famous for its medieval history.

The Lintgasse was first mentioned in the 12th century as »in Lintgazzin«, which may have derived from basketmakers described, weaving fish baskets out of Linden tree barks. These craftsmen were called »Lindslizer«, meaning Linden splitter. During the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, the area was also known as »platēa subri« or »platēa suberis«, meaning street of Quercus suber.

Lintgasse 8 to 14 used to be homes of medieval knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

s as still can be seen by signs like »Zum Huynen«, »Zum Ritter« or »Zum Gir«. At Lintgasse 15 once stood the Parish of St. Brigiden, which became an elementary school during the 19th century. During this time, the Lintgasse was called »Stink-Linkgaß«, as the alley was unpopular for its poor air quality.

Lintgasse 9 has a passage to the nearby Great St. Martin Church

Great St. Martin Church

The Great Saint Martin Church is a Romanesque Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. Its foundations rest on remnants of a Roman chapel, built on what was then an island in the Rhine. The church was later transformed into a Benedictine monastery...

. On the corner of Alter Markt and Lintgasse stands the listed Gaffel-Haus »Zur Brezel«. The brewhouse is a 7-storey Dutch Renaissance townhouse

Townhouse

A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...

, built in 1213 but substantially extended in 1580. The building was a significant place in the history of Cologne

History of Cologne

The History of Cologne, Germany's oldest major city, can be broken into several periods.- Roman period :In 39 BC, the tribe of the Ubii entered into an agreement with the Roman forces and settled on the left bank of the Rhine. Their headquarters was Oppidum Ubiorum — the settlement of the Ubii, and...

and only converted into a beer house in the late 19th century.

External links

• http://www.gaffel-haus.de/