He is Stone Rich

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He is Stone Rich

October 24, 2015 by dorannrule

Stone Tower in Regensburg, Germany

This is one of the medieval tower buildings in Regensburg, Germany that once belonged to a rich and powerful patrician family.

The actual living space was on the main level.

The upper stories were only a façade, with small storage rooms behind the upper windows.

Stone was expensive, so prosperity was displayed by the height of the tower you owned – the higher the tower, the more stones required and the wealthier the merchant.

Germans still say of someone they think is wealthy, “He is stone rich.”

Many such buildings remain in Regensburg and some owners have invested in renovating the upper levels and adding electricity. They can then rent the tiny spaces to students who are able and willing to climb the ladders between floors.

Note the varying window styles on the different levels of this tower.

Posted in Buildings, Camera-Walking, History and Places, Out of Town, Photography, Travel, Where to Go | Tagged Architecture, Buildings, Europe, Germany, Medieval buildings, Regensburg, Stone rich, Travel | 10 Comments

10 Responses

on October 24, 2015 at 9:15 am John

Interesting window shapes, nice color choices.

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on October 24, 2015 at 10:04 am Eliza Waters

The upper windows look Venetian. Interesting about how they felt the need to be ostentatious!

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on October 24, 2015 at 11:37 am cindy knoke

How amazing! I had no idea….

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on October 24, 2015 at 12:37 pm Jill Weatherholt

Very interesting, Dor. With my fear of heights, I’m not sure I could climb that ladder. 🙂

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on October 24, 2015 at 3:10 pm pattisj

Interesting, I’ve not heard that term. It is a lovely tower.

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on October 26, 2015 at 4:56 pm Anne Mehrling

I enjoyed reading about being stone rich. We went to church in Regensburg — coldest I’ve ever been in my life!

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on October 27, 2015 at 1:50 am dorannrule

How did you come to attend church in Regensburg Anne?

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on October 27, 2015 at 5:02 pm Anne Mehrling

We lived in England from 1980 to 1982 and traveled around Europe as much as we could. We had recordings of the Regensburg choir and knew we wanted to hear them in their natural setting. The music was glorious.

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on October 28, 2015 at 6:27 am dorannrule

What a wonderful opportunity you had to explore in those years!

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on October 30, 2015 at 5:47 pm katespencer17

Mystery explained – thank you Dor! I’ve heard the expression ‘Stone Rich’ before, but I never knew its origins.

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