exploreCARPATHIA
Attractions along the Carpathians
Transylvania / Romania

Closius–Hiemesch–Giesel Houses

Closius–Hiemesch–Giesel Houses
BV Closius-Hiemesch-Giesel
Whitepixels, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Original function:
house
Current function:
house
Address:
Piața Sfatului 15–16
Historical Hungarian county:
Brassó
Country:
Romania
GPS coordinates:
45.6414925731, 25.5889759124
Google map:

History

Its earliest buildings date from the early 14th century. At that time there were three ground-floor buildings on the site, separated by narrow courtyards. In 1566, the three houses were rebuilt, their facades advanced by 2 metres and a storey added; the date of construction is indicated by a date engraved on a stone window frame. They were rebuilt again after the fire of 1689. On the ground floor were arched porticoes, typical of medieval houses, where merchants sold their wares. They took their present form in 1835. The houses have a cellar, ground floor, first floor and mansard. Families lived upstairs, the ground floor was used for shops, and the cellar was used to store the merchants' goods. The oldest layers of Renaissance wall paintings date from the 16th century; they were repainted several times until the 18th century. According to art historians, it is the largest painted wall surface in a residential building in what is now Romania.

In 1948 the houses were nationalised. The upper floors were divided into small flats and rented out to tenants, and shops occupied the ground floor. After the fall of communism, the buildings were returned to their original owners. The dilapidated and neglected complex was renovated between 1991 and 2011.

The two houses at number 16 (Albrich-Hiemesch-Giesel house) have changed hands several times. Until the end of the 18th century, the house in the middle belonged to the Albrich family and the house on the Honterus courtyard belonged to the Hiemesch family (for the same reason, the group of buildings is also known as the Closius-Albrich-Hiemesch houses). Over time, the two houses were joined together, and from 1777 both were owned by Hiemesch. In 1824 it became the property of the Giesel family, in 1872 of the Trautsch and Plecker von Pleckersfeld families, and from 1905 of the Czeides Foundation and the Lutheran Church. Notable members of the Albrich family were Martin Albrich (1630-1694), rector of the grammar school, and Johann Albrich (1687-1749), a doctor, and the Hiemesch family included Franz Hiemesch (1849-1911), mayor.

{"item":"sight","set":{"sightId":2029,"townId":77,"active":1,"name_LO":"","address":"Pia\u021ba Sfatului 15\u201316","mapdata":"1|1097|1841","gps_lat":"45.6414925731","gps_long":"25.5889759124","religion":0,"oldtype":"53","newtype":"53","homepage":"https:\/\/hu.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Closius%E2%80%93Hiemesch%E2%80%93Giesel-h%C3%A1zak","openinghours":"","muemlekemlink":"","csemadoklink":"","picture":"\u003Ca title=\u0022Whitepixels, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:BV_Closius-Hiemesch-Giesel.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg width=\u0022512\u0022 alt=\u0022BV Closius-Hiemesch-Giesel\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/7f\/BV_Closius-Hiemesch-Giesel.jpg\/512px-BV_Closius-Hiemesch-Giesel.jpg\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E","picture_ref":"\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:BV_Closius-Hiemesch-Giesel.jpg\u0022\u003EWhitepixels\u003C\/a\u003E, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons","name":"Closius\u2013Hiemesch\u2013Giesel Houses","note":"","history":"Its earliest buildings date from the early 14th century. At that time there were three ground-floor buildings on the site, separated by narrow courtyards. In 1566, the three houses were rebuilt, their facades advanced by 2 metres and a storey added; the date of construction is indicated by a date engraved on a stone window frame. They were rebuilt again after the fire of 1689. On the ground floor were arched porticoes, typical of medieval houses, where merchants sold their wares. They took their present form in 1835. The houses have a cellar, ground floor, first floor and mansard. Families lived upstairs, the ground floor was used for shops, and the cellar was used to store the merchants' goods. The oldest layers of Renaissance wall paintings date from the 16th century; they were repainted several times until the 18th century. According to art historians, it is the largest painted wall surface in a residential building in what is now Romania.@\nIn 1948 the houses were nationalised. The upper floors were divided into small flats and rented out to tenants, and shops occupied the ground floor. After the fall of communism, the buildings were returned to their original owners. The dilapidated and neglected complex was renovated between 1991 and 2011.@\nThe two houses at number 16 (Albrich-Hiemesch-Giesel house) have changed hands several times. Until the end of the 18th century, the house in the middle belonged to the Albrich family and the house on the Honterus courtyard belonged to the Hiemesch family (for the same reason, the group of buildings is also known as the Closius-Albrich-Hiemesch houses). Over time, the two houses were joined together, and from 1777 both were owned by Hiemesch. In 1824 it became the property of the Giesel family, in 1872 of the Trautsch and Plecker von Pleckersfeld families, and from 1905 of the Czeides Foundation and the Lutheran Church. Notable members of the Albrich family were Martin Albrich (1630-1694), rector of the grammar school, and Johann Albrich (1687-1749), a doctor, and the Hiemesch family included Franz Hiemesch (1849-1911), mayor.\n&\nwikipedia: Closius\u2013Hiemesch\u2013Giesel-h\u00e1zak|https:\/\/hu.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Closius%E2%80%93Hiemesch%E2%80%93Giesel-h%C3%A1zak","town":{"townId":77,"name_HU":"Brass\u00f3","name_LO":"Bra\u0219ov","seolink":"brasso-brasov","oldcounty":40,"country":4}},"language":"en","region":"romania","regionid":4,"offer":[],"gallery":false,"album":false}