Old bakery in Rüthen

Baking bread and toasting the bakehouse together was on the agenda of the local history association on May 25, 2013. Hermann Krämer ceremoniously opened the doors of the "Zum Alten Rondell" bakehouse at the Hachtor with the first Rüthen baking days. Pastor Bernd Götze took the opportunity to inaugurate the bakehouse, which had been built by the local history association, with a blessing from the church.

Our town archivist Friedhelm Sommer reveals how the name came about. The name is a reminder of the part of the Hachtor fortification that no longer exists today.

At the end of the inner walls stood a semi-circular, roofed stone structure. It was also equipped with a cannon, which was intended to secure the moat and rampart area in the 16th and 17th centuries and made the former Hachtor complex (with main gate, portcullis, inner walls and
traffic circle in front) into a so-called "gate castle". This old traffic circle was located directly opposite the Heimatverein's bakehouse.
One of the typical baked goods produced in Rüthen during the Electorate of Cologne period was small rye. This was a wholemeal bread that was served as everyday bread. White bread or even pretzels were served on Sundays and feast days.

From the history of the bakery trade in the town of Rüthen

The craft of baking in Rüthen is undoubtedly as old as the town itself, which was founded in 1200 - bread has been the most important food for people from the earliest times to the present day, and not only in the Central European cultural area. This is why bakers are listed as one of the town's trades in the charter of the town of Rüthen from the early 14th century.

In 1350, our bakers were already organized as a guild. In 1553, they renewed their official rules (Nottuln) : Thus, a new Amtsmeister or Gildemeister was elected annually from the ranks of the master bakers resident in Rüthen, to whom a master baker was also subordinated as Amtsknecht to carry out the guild's business. The baker's office had its own jurisdiction over all matters relating to its trade, compliance with the established professional standards and the settlement of disputes and irregularities among the brethren. The practice of the bakery trade in Rüthen was tied to citizenship; the weight and quality of the baked goods were continuously monitored by the Rüthen magistrate through the town's bread warden. The weight and quality of the baked goods were constantly monitored by the Rüthen magistrate. Failure to meet the specified weights could even result in a ban from the trade. There was also a special social obligation for the bakers as guild members: in times of exceptional grain rents, bread had to be produced at a particularly low price for the poor in Rüthen!

Moreover, the ratio between the respective price of the bread grain (rye, wheat) and the weight of the type of bread (small rye or white bread) was precisely defined.