Katzunghaus

The Katzunghaus stands in Innsbruck’s old town, a five-storey corner building whose core dates from the early 16th century. It first appears in records in 1455 and once belonged to Konrad Seusenhofer, armourer to Emperor Maximilian I. The façade shows a tall projecting oriel that runs the full height of the corner, decorated with figural reliefs by Gregor Türing. These scenes of tournaments and musicians recall the square’s medieval role as the stage for knightly games and public performances. The building’s steep roof and neo-Gothic trimmings were stripped away in 1967 and replaced with fresh reliefs on every storey. The house carries the name of the Katzung family, whose bakery and café have operated here since 1775. Johann Reiß, a city cook, left the property to his wife, who in turn passed it to the Katzungs in 1791. Anton Georg Katzung opened a confectionery in 1793 and became second court confectioner to Archduchess Maria Elisabeth. The business survived inheritance disputes and debts because the house was tied to the city-cook trade. In 1910 Rosa Katzung handed the café-restaurant and its stock to her son Richard, whose daughter Paula ran the establishment until her death in 2000. Visitors today find the Katzung café on the ground floor, still baking and serving. Above, two baroque salons called Friedl and Pauli can be hired for celebrations. The oriel’s reliefs, though later casts, preserve the lively scenes of 16th-century life. The building’s corner position catches the flow of the old town’s streets, linking the city’s past with its present-day café culture.