The architecture of Spalt

A romantic old town

Our high-gabled imposing half-timbered houses with up to five floors did not correspond to the architectural fashion of the time, but served to dry the hop cones. Due to the unfolded gable shutters and dormers, the air was able to circulate optimally. To this day, the high-gabled houses characterize our cityscape.

At that time used as a hops transhipment point - the HopfenBierGut

The HopfenBierGut in 2018 - museum, beer workshop, museum shop & tourist information

A lot of wood was needed

The half-timbering and the interior construction of the corn house (Kornhaus) are impressive. A "even mighty forest" was necessary for the construction, wrote a chronicler. The Kornhaus is a former tithe barn of the prince-bishops of Eichstätt. The half-timbered building dates from the first half of the 15th century, passed into the possession of the city in 1862 and served as a hop warehouse and signing hall from 1897 to 1984. The building was renovated and redesigned. Today it houses the hop and beer museum "HopfenBierGut" and the tourist information.

The Mühlreisighaus

The Mühlreisighaus ("mill-rice house") is the highest and probably most important central Franconian hop farmhouse. The steep gable roof is broken four times and has drying slits for the hop floors. It was built around 1746.

Hopfenarchitektur

The drying of the hops

At harvest, hops have a water content of 75-84 % and must be dried to a moisture content of approx. 10 % immediately after harvesting to maintain storability. The complex air-drying process requires a lot of space and time, so it has been replaced by the hop kiln. Here, drying is accelerated by means of a furnace on the ground floor. The drying time takes approx. 3-5 hours, depending on the variety and the dimensions of the kiln.