Schreckenskammer

When you enter the Schreckenskammer, you might not think about having your last meal on earth here, right? According to legend, many executioners' meals were served on the scrubbed tables in the Schreckenskammer. The restaurant was originally located on the way to the Weckschnapp, a legendary execution site in Cologne, and sentenced individuals would have their last meal in the Schreckenskammer. 

The current location of the Schreckenskammer is much more delightful than the story of its naming: not far from the main station, in the middle of the old town, yet away from the tourist hustle and bustle. If you're not immediately daunted by the formidable name Schreckenskammer, you'll find a rustic brewery spot with delicious Kölsch beer in the shadow of the Basilica St. Ursula. The food is good brewery cuisine, with a rustic and traditional offering. No doubt, it is served as often as you like.

Menu: Hearty Brewery Cuisine

From the classic schnitzel to Cologne favorites like Halve Hahn (small rye roll with cheese) or Himmel un Ääd (speciality made from apples, potatoes, and blood or liver sausage), to a small selection of vegetarian dishes, the Schreckenskammer offers hearty cuisine. You'll find a variety of pork dishes here, as well as a few beef options. Additionally, there are sausages, portioned snacks, salad plates, and a menu for the little guests. The weekly menu offers seasonal specialties, and the house-made Kölsch beer from the Schreckenskammer is available on tap or in bottles.

Cozy Seating in the Schreckenskammer

Rustic furnishings and traditional roughness create the atmosphere of the Schreckenskammer as the classic brewery it wants to be. Regulars appreciate the warm interaction here.

You'll notice the sand-sprinkled wooden floor, made of open-pored oak that is not only scrubbed by the sand but also hardened. This faithful floor simply lasts longer, and environmental friendliness is included. In good weather, you can also enjoy the house's beer garden.

Enough to Give You Goosebumps: The Name Schreckenskammer

The search for an answer to the original naming reveals a second story: it revolves around railway workers and their fear of exams. In the Schreckenskammer in Goldgasse, examinations for railway workers used to be held due to simple lack of space. It was opposite, at house Johannisstraße 42, where the railway workers' school of the Franconian-Märkische Railway was located. A state examiner came from afar for the exam and asked, "So, where is it, the Schreckenskammer?" The reply directed him to the brewery.

To the History: A Very Old Brewery

However, the current Schreckenskammer on Ursulagartenstraße near the church of St. Ursula is no longer at its original location, and no executioner's meals were actually eaten at this site. In Ursulagartenstraße, the Schreckenskammer was reopened as a restaurant after the war in 1960.

The tradition of the Schreckenskammer goes back to its mention in the tax list of 1487, making it one of the oldest breweries in Cologne in this historical lineage.

Over the centuries, the owners and names of the Schreckenskammer changed—it was previously called Zum Mailaen or Zum Marienbildchen. Back then, the brewery was in the former Goldgasse. In 1943, the brewery was destroyed in a bombing raid by the Allies on the city of Cologne and was not rebuilt at the same location. Instead, the landlord Cornelius Wirtz received the property on Ursulagartenstraße, where the Schreckenskammer was reopened in 1960. Since then, you will find the brewery here run as a family business. In 2009, a second branch of the Schreckenskammer was added through the expansion in the adjacent building at Ursulakloster 20.