Haus an der Steege

The house at Steege number 4 is a noteworthy, eaves-standing structure with rich wood carvings and paintings, built in the year 1572. Until 1599, the city judge and "governor and freeman" Caspar Pott lived there - the homeowner had been the mayor of the city since 1596.

The building is a type of half-timbered house that was prevalent in Bad Salzuflen during the Renaissance period. Particularly noteworthy is certainly the four-story, gabled projecting balcony, the lower two floors of which date back to the original Renaissance construction. The former timber-framed house had a gate entrance on the right gable side, which is now concealed by the right-side extension (built in 1904) that is set back. The stone elements on the ground floor also date back to the 1904 renovation.

The inscription “ANNO . D[OMINI]. 1572.” also dates back to 1904, but since 1971 it has been slightly altered to “A. D. 1572.”

Two additional inscriptions were likely painted on the facade only in the 1950s.

• “SPES CONFISA DEO NUMQUAM CONFUSA RECEDIT” - Hope that is firmly trusted in God will never be completely put to shame.
• "PAX INTRANTIBUS SALUS EXEUNTIBUS CONCORDIA INHABITANTIBUS" - Peace to those entering, health to those exiting, harmony to the inhabitants.

The second of these inscriptions has disappeared since the last renovation in 2002.

A few steps further, we encounter the brine, which flows openly into the salt yard in a masonry riverbed. This was not always the case, as between 1912 and 1983, the river in the area of Steege was covered with a roadway. Thanks to the regulation of the brine, the old town has been spared from floods for over 30 years.