The reconstructed Alte Waage by Nemorino
This half-timbered Old Weighing Station was first built in 1553 and went through various phases of use, neglect, re-design and mis-use over the centuries, including a seven year stint as the headquarters of the "Hitler Youth" from 1937 to 1944, before it was completely destroyed, along with the rest of Braunschweig's Old Town, by bombing near the end of the Second World War.Half a century later three local carpentry companies were chosen to rebuild the Alte Waage from scratch, using the same kinds of materials and techniques that their sixteenth-century forebears had used. They needed 360 cubic meters of oak beams (not as easy to obtain as in 1553, since there aren't so many oak trees anymore), which they joined together in over three hundred places without using a single iron nail or screw.
Since re-opening in 1994 the Alte Waage has been used as the main building of the Braunschweig Adult Education Center (see next tip).
Second photo: The text on the cornerstone says: "The Old Weighing Station was destroyed by bombs in the Second World War and was rebuilt fifty years later in 1994."
Third photo: Side view of the Alte Waage.
Fourth photo: Looking up at the Alte Waage. The top three windows are of the seminar room where I did a presentation and workshop in 1997.
