At number 14, the imposing Hirscher House is a conclusive example of the Transylvanian Renaissance, although it was destroyed by two fires in the 17th century. Still bearing the insignia of the Hirscher family, it was built in 1541-157 as a gift to Apollonia Hirscher, widow of the mayor and merchant Lukas Hirscher, to be used as a trading centre for the Saxons.
It is also known as the Merchants’ House or, less officially, the Shoemakers’ Bridge, due to the shoe market upstairs. Today, the building houses the famous Cerbul Carpatin restaurant.
The building of the Merchants’ House was built on Șirul Florilor (east side of the Council Square) by Apollonia Hirscher, the richest woman in Brasov in the 16th century. Apollonia was born in Sibiu then moved to Brasov after marrying Lukas Hirscher, the city’s judge. After her husband’s death in 1541, she inherited and ably managed the family business that stretched as far as Austria and Turkey and was considered part of the Saxon Patriciat of the time.
With the weakening and later the disappearance of the guilds, the Merchants’ House lost its traditional use and eventually became a restaurant, but also, according to a report dated 12 August 1939, a polyclinic and shops (there was a bookshop, a blacksmith, a grocery, four butchers, a coffee shop, a fruit shop, etc.).
The building ranked first in size among the civil constructions of Brasov in the 16th century, being 67.40 meters long and consisting of two pavilions separated by an inner courtyard, joined at the front ends. The stone pillars, reminiscent of the Renaissance style, the arches on the ground and first floors, the steep roof covered with red tiles, lowered to below the upper limit of the walls, give the building a solid and massive appearance.
The powerful fire of 1689 and subsequent fires also affected the Merchants’ House. Between 1759 and 1847, radical architectural transformations took place which brought the building to its present form.
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Last modified: November 14, 2022
