Ponikauhaus

The Ponikauhaus is a grand patrician palace on the north side of Kempten’s Rathausplatz. Built in the 16th century, it once belonged to wealthy merchant families and later to the Jenisch patricians. Today it houses the Allgäuer Volksbank, standing beside the Stern-Apotheke to the west and the Hotel Fürstenhof to the east. Its history begins with two medieval houses recorded in 1499, possibly earlier, once used to store wine, salt and spices. After changing hands through generations of dyers, merchants and mayors, it became the Jenisch family seat in the 18th century. They added the baroque façade, a rococo ballroom with lavish stucco and a private water supply. In 1804 the house passed to Christoph von Ponikau, whose name it still carries. Inside, the building reveals its rococo splendour. The staircase is decorated with frescoes by Franz Georg Hermann and stucco by Johann Georg Üblhör, including a ceiling scene of Phaethon. The ballroom mirrors the opulence of the prince-abbots’ throne hall, with mirrored vaults, ornate pilasters and scenes from Greek myth. The rear wing shows simpler gabled roofs above the Gerberstraße, completing a striking example of Swabian civic ambition.