Krameramtsstuben

Hamburg's oldest row houses (1620–1700) – half-timbered courtyards in the shadow of St. Michaelis, once social housing for merchants' widows.

The Krameramtsstuben on Krayenkamp, in the shadow of St. Michaelis Church, are Hamburg's last intact 17th-century courtyard complex and the city's oldest row housing. Built between 1620 and 1700, the small half-timbered houses originally served as social housing for the widows of merchants belonging to Hamburg's Krameramt – the guild of small traders. Stepping through the narrow entrance feels like entering another century: cobblestone courtyards, colourful shutters and climbing plants. Today some cottages house a small museum, a restaurant and boutiques, tucked away behind one of Hamburg's busiest inner-city streets.