Ensemble of Houses and Tuchmacherplatz

The four houses, Nos. 63 and 69 with the three rings in their gables, and Nos. 65 and 71 with their Rococo decoration, define this stretch of Ruhrstraße. The inscription on No. 63 says, in effect: “Had you come in time, I would have followed your advice.” The house was probably built at the end of the 17th century, around the same time as No. 69, “Parlament”. Set into its front is a beam plaque originally from the house “Am Staad” (Mühlengraben 1), bearing an inscription dated 1645. The two scallop shells point to the Way of St. James, which ran along the eastern part of Ruhrstraße (formerly Steinweg).

In the 18th century, the building now occupied by the “Parlament” restaurant was used as a post office by Thurn und Taxis. From 1817 it served as a Prussian post office, and around 1848 it was a tavern and meeting place for Democrats, giving rise to the name “Parlament”. The Doctor’s House (No. 65) dates from around 1772, when Dr. Mallinus practised here. Its decoration is similar to that of the “Alte Apotheke” (No. 71). The “Alte Apotheke” was also owned by Dr. Mallinus, who leased it as a pharmacy to the Grote/Mechelen family. Its decoration, dating from 1782, is a fine variation on that of the Doctor’s House. Even when it served as a local history museum from 1930 to 1938, it was still called the “Alte Apotheke”. Mühlengasse, between Parlament and the Alte Apotheke, led to the Kettwiger Mühle, documented as early as 1387. The section of Ruhrstraße between the Alte Apotheke and the lower end of the buildings at Kirchtreppe 2/4/6 was formerly known as “Knüppelmarkt”. Wooden logs or planks probably replaced the paving here, as wastewater from Oberdorf and Kirchtreppe drained through this area. The bronze plaque beside the Weberbrunnen highlights the importance of Tuchmacherplatz and its weavers’ fountain.