Station: [8] Pub “Zur Stadt Hanau”

F: In early 1890, the young married couple Ludwig and Luise Schmidt purchased a town house – what’s now Frauensteiner Strasse Number 6 – and converted it into a pub. They bought the wooden bar with the Dotzheim “T” carved into the front, and in April 1890, opened a drinking establishment called “Zur Stadt Hanau”. But in May of that year, just a month after the launch, Ludwig Schmidt fell victim to a typhoid epidemic and died. He was just 29. Luise, who was pregnant, took over the business, called on her sister for help, and from then on, the two women ran the pub.

In around 1900, the two landladies switched to a different beer supplier. Instead of the original beer from Hanau, they now dispensed genuine Wiesbaden beer in the taproom. The “Germania” brewing company supplied the pubs with lager and special beers in casks, and from 1913, also in bottles. The advertisements and beer glasses are reminders of the Germania brewery that kept Wiesbaden and the surrounding area supplied with regional beer until 1973. Incidentally, people also bought bottled beer at the pub and took it home to drink – before returning the empty bottles to Luise Schmidt.

M: In 1921, 31 years later, Luise’s son Heinrich took over the Dotzheim pub and expanded the drinks menu by adding home-made cider. After World War Two, he even set up as a street vendor – Dotzheim’s first takeout restaurant. When Heinrich died in 1957, it marked the end of a tradition going back almost 70 years. The alehouse “Zur Stadt Hanau” closed its doors – but thanks to Heinrich’s grandson Wolfgang Schmidt, it now lives on here at the museum. He presented some of the original furnishings to the museum.

F: That brings us to the end of the first part of our exhibition. Please retrace your steps. In the entrance hall, you’ll find our next stop under the stairs: number 9.