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HIRSCH INN AT MUNDINGEN

The Beginning

Hirsch Inn: New and Old Photos

The Prenuptial Agreement

The Beginning
Conrad Schwenk 1773-1867, came to Mundingen in 1797 (then a pop. of ca 160 from Feldstetten, the village of his birth some 12 mi. north of there, and bought this inn and attached brewery for 2500 Gulden. He had learned the skills of brewing and innkeeping from his stepfather in Feldstetten. He married the daughter of the seller that year. She was Felicitas Breymayer.

Hirsch Inn

The purchase of this property (this included several acres of farmland was part of the marriage contract.

He turned over this business to his son Konrad in ca. 1840. He sold this property to a Rupp family in the 1860s, and it remains today still in the hands of this same Rupp family.

Mundingen is located a few miles north of the Danube River and about 15 mi. west of Ulm and some 30 mi. SE of Stuttgart in the present state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Mundingen was mentioned in a document dated in 854 and its origins go back further in time, but original date of settlement has not yet been established.

Conrad (Sr.) left Mundingen in around 1866 at the age of 93 to be cared for by his daughter Elizabeth in Metzingen, some 20 miles NW of Mundingen, where he died in 1867 at close to the age of 95.

old brewery This old photograph shows probably how the Hirsch Inn and adjacent brewery building (on left) appeared when Conrad Schwenk bought this property in 1797. Conrad remodeled part of the brewery building to serve as a laundry for the community. This property was located directly next to the village springs/well. The brewery building was torn down sometime in the 1960s.

The brewery was built in the early 1700's by Friedrich Breymayer, the grandfather of Felicitas Breymayer, Conrad Schwenk's wife. With the construction of the brewery, part of the adjoining residence (now the inn) was converted to an inn and named the Hirsch, a widely used name for an inn in this part of Germany.

new brewery In this photo, extensive remodeling had occured (around 1900?), and now the brewery (if it was still used as such?) is firmly attached to inn. That part of the building was torn down some 30 years ago, and the building looks like that of the current color photo.

A Prenuptial Agreement In 1797
IN SMALL VILLAGE IN SOUTH GERMANY

Our friend, Dr. Kiess, went to the Mundingen Town Hall in 1996 and found the marriage contract dated April, 1797 drawn up before the marriage of our Conrad Schwenk to Felicitas Breymayer. He, with help of wife Pauline, then transcribed this long hand-written "prenuptial agreement" into modern German and enclosed a two-page single-space typed document. It is still difficult for me to read because of so many archaic terms, but I will do my best to translate most of this agreement - principally the 20 Conditions of this agreement or contract (that word, Contract was in fact used in this document). First let me refresh your memories...

Felicitas was then 33 yrs. of age. Her father had died in 1767 when she was three. Her mother remarried one year later to Elias Fischer, a brewery worker, who had come from Weilheim, a town some 20 miles NW of Mundingen. So now thirty years later our Conrad comes strolling into this out-of-the-way hamlet, apparently having heard that Elias was looking for a buyer of the "Hirsch Inn" (that is only an assumption of mine). Felicitas had never married. Her mother was then age 66, and step father Elias, the owner of this property (a widow lost her right to own property upon remarriage) was then probably about the same age (I could never find his date of birth as hopefully revealed in his death entry; I checked again today for this in the years between 1797 and 1804; He must have been buried back in his hometown, but when his wife, our Anna Elizabeth died in 1803, she was a widow). Anyway, the 20 Conditions have mainly to do with the concerns of the parents there in their twilight years. If you will recall, the 3 story Brewery/Distillery building stood directly adjacent to the main Haus (the Inn) to the east of the present entry door of the Inn. It was torn down some 20-30 years ago. The brewery building had been built back in around 1720-1730 by our ancestor Friderick Breymayer, grandfather of Felicitas, and parts of the house converted to an inn.

Okay. Now to the 20 Conditions.

1. All the brewery equipment, vats, pots, casks and tubs are included in this purchase.

2. Whatever has to be built in the rooms of the brewery will be paid for by both parties (not clear if this meant the seller and buyer jointly, or the two buyers, Conrad and Felicitas?).

3. The seller reserves for his life long use the loft above the Brewery facing the well (village well directly across the street -north - of the property).

4. Likewise the small room by the Dürre (for drying fruit and presumably also in the brewery building).

5. The buyer must provide for the seller, at no cost, yearly 2 tankards of brandy, and one half tankard beer daily.

6. The seller reserves for his use the cellar in the large house, and will pay the costs of installing a door on the side facing the well. (It appears that this is where he and wife will reside).

7. The seller reserves use of the upper rear room in the event that son Philipp should become sick or otherwise run into misfortune, and where the seller can at that time put a couple clothing trunks (Philipp was youngest brother of Felicitas, and at that time age 31).

8. The seller must be provided one of the three pig pens in the event he should keep a pig.

9. The seller reserves two small plots by the well for the planting of lettuce, etc.

10. Likewise a small place behind the house for firewood storage.

11. The seller is allowed to keep one cow in the barn of the buyer, but is responsible for the acquistion of feed and the feeding of her.

12. The buyer is required to transport four wagon loads of manure to the fields of the father-in-law.

13. The seller reserves the right to one-tenth of all the fruit.

14. Likewise, one-third of the plot of the community-owned garden area. Also

15. A one-third share of the yearly firewood allotment (Each "full-fledged citizen" of the community, that is, one who owned his house, had paid the one time fee for this privilege of citizenship, could vote for the election of the mayor, schoolteacher, town council members, etc., likewise had the right to go into the community-owned forest land to chop a specified amount of firewood each year)

16. The seller retains the front upper part of the barn (part of the house structure) for the storage of crop harvest.

17. The Käuferin (female buyer, that is in this case Felicitas) receives, in addition to a 6 times the minimum dowry amount, two cows, one as part of the purchase and the other as part of the dowry.

18. Two tables along with three guest tables, three chairs and two Schrannen (boxes to sit on) in the main room, and also the sofa behind the oven are left for the Käuferin (Felicitas).

19. The father-in-law approves the common use of whatever household utensils/kitchenware there is (this suggests that both families would share the kitchen). And finally,

20. If either the father-in-law or the son-in-law should die, the widow is not allowed to remarry (this was very difficult to translate, partly because of archaic phrases and partly because it was not written very clearly). The Brauhaus (brewery) is mentioned in this last Condtion, but I could not figure out its connection. I think that Elias had concerns that should Conrad die, and his widow Felicitas then remarry, the new husband would then own the entire property and this could leave Elias and Anna Elisabeth in an uncertain situation and with no guarantee of a place of residence and all the other things which this marriage contract had provided for the sellers).

The balance of 2000 Gulden in cash was required before the "deal" could be final. Whether Conrad had brought this with him from Feldstetten, or this had been paid jointly by him and Felicitas, this is not indicated. I would guess that this money came from Conrad and perhaps with some help from his step-father, the innkeeper and brewer in Feldstetten?

Along with the above mentioned building and equipment, the purchase included crop and pasture land. Perhaps 12-14 different very small parcels. The measurements shown are abbreviated symbols which I don't begin to understand. If I recall from Dr. Kiess' book, this property included something like 8-10 acres of land. Would Conrad have farmed this land himself? I don't know. PROBABLY he had his hands full with the brewery and inn and may well have sublet this land. Farm equipment was, however, included in this transaction. And did Elias still own other land? I don't know, but the Condition # 12 suggests that he did. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed hearing this interesting story. It was a pleasure for me to share it with you."

(A letter emailed to (pre-Homepage) SchwenkNet in Oct. 1996 by Don Schwenk)


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	HIRSCH INN AT MUNDINGEN The Beginning Hirsch Inn: New and Old Photos The Prenuptial Agreement
	The Beginning Conrad Schwenk 1773-1867, came to Mundingen in 1797 (then a pop. of ca 160 from Feldstetten, the village of his birth some 12 mi. north of there, and bought this inn and attached brewery for 2500 Gulden. He had learned the skills of brewing and innkeeping from his stepfather in Feldstetten. He married the daughter of the seller that year. She was Felicitas Breymayer. The purchase of this property (this included several acres of farmland was part of the marriage contract. He turned over this business to his son Konrad in ca. 1840. He sold this property to a Rupp family in the 1860s, and it remains today still in the hands of this same Rupp family. Mundingen is located a few miles north of the Danube River and about 15 mi. west of Ulm and some 30 mi. SE of Stuttgart in the present state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Mundingen was mentioned in a document dated in 854 and its origins go back further in time, but original date of settlement has not yet been established. Conrad (Sr.) left Mundingen in around 1866 at the age of 93 to be cared for by his daughter Elizabeth in Metzingen, some 20 miles NW of Mundingen, where he died in 1867 at close to the age of 95.
	This old photograph shows probably how the Hirsch Inn and adjacent brewery building (on left) appeared when Conrad Schwenk bought this property in 1797. Conrad remodeled part of the brewery building to serve as a laundry for the community. This property was located directly next to the village springs/well. The brewery building was torn down sometime in the 1960s. The brewery was built in the early 1700's by Friedrich Breymayer, the grandfather of Felicitas Breymayer, Conrad Schwenk's wife. With the construction of the brewery, part of the adjoining residence (now the inn) was converted to an inn and named the Hirsch, a widely used name for an inn in this part of Germany.
	In this photo, extensive remodeling had occured (around 1900?), and now the brewery (if it was still used as such?) is firmly attached to inn. That part of the building was torn down some 30 years ago, and the building looks like that of the current color photo.
	A Prenuptial Agreement In 1797 IN SMALL VILLAGE IN SOUTH GERMANY Our friend, Dr. Kiess, went to the Mundingen Town Hall in 1996 and found the marriage contract dated April, 1797 drawn up before the marriage of our Conrad Schwenk to Felicitas Breymayer. He, with help of wife Pauline, then transcribed this long hand-written "prenuptial agreement" into modern German and enclosed a two-page single-space typed document. It is still difficult for me to read because of so many archaic terms, but I will do my best to translate most of this agreement - principally the 20 Conditions of this agreement or contract (that word, Contract was in fact used in this document). First let me refresh your memories... Felicitas was then 33 yrs. of age. Her father had died in 1767 when she was three. Her mother remarried one year later to Elias Fischer, a brewery worker, who had come from Weilheim, a town some 20 miles NW of Mundingen. So now thirty years later our Conrad comes strolling into this out-of-the-way hamlet, apparently having heard that Elias was looking for a buyer of the "Hirsch Inn" (that is only an assumption of mine). Felicitas had never married. Her mother was then age 66, and step father Elias, the owner of this property (a widow lost her right to own property upon remarriage) was then probably about the same age (I could never find his date of birth as hopefully revealed in his death entry; I checked again today for this in the years between 1797 and 1804; He must have been buried back in his hometown, but when his wife, our Anna Elizabeth died in 1803, she was a widow). Anyway, the 20 Conditions have mainly to do with the concerns of the parents there in their twilight years. If you will recall, the 3 story Brewery/Distillery building stood directly adjacent to the main Haus (the Inn) to the east of the present entry door of the Inn. It was torn down some 20-30 years ago. The brewery building had been built back in around 1720-1730 by our ancestor Friderick Breymayer, grandfather of Felicitas, and parts of the house converted to an inn. Okay. Now to the 20 Conditions. 1. All the brewery equipment, vats, pots, casks and tubs are included in this purchase. 2. Whatever has to be built in the rooms of the brewery will be paid for by both parties (not clear if this meant the seller and buyer jointly, or the two buyers, Conrad and Felicitas?). 3. The seller reserves for his life long use the loft above the Brewery facing the well (village well directly across the street -north - of the property). 4. Likewise the small room by the Dürre (for drying fruit and presumably also in the brewery building). 5. The buyer must provide for the seller, at no cost, yearly 2 tankards of brandy, and one half tankard beer daily. 6. The seller reserves for his use the cellar in the large house, and will pay the costs of installing a door on the side facing the well. (It appears that this is where he and wife will reside). 7. The seller reserves use of the upper rear room in the event that son Philipp should become sick or otherwise run into misfortune, and where the seller can at that time put a couple clothing trunks (Philipp was youngest brother of Felicitas, and at that time age 31). 8. The seller must be provided one of the three pig pens in the event he should keep a pig. 9. The seller reserves two small plots by the well for the planting of lettuce, etc. 10. Likewise a small place behind the house for firewood storage. 11. The seller is allowed to keep one cow in the barn of the buyer, but is responsible for the acquistion of feed and the feeding of her. 12. The buyer is required to transport four wagon loads of manure to the fields of the father-in-law. 13. The seller reserves the right to one-tenth of all the fruit. 14. Likewise, one-third of the plot of the community-owned garden area. Also 15. A one-third share of the yearly firewood allotment (Each "full-fledged citizen" of the community, that is, one who owned his house, had paid the one time fee for this privilege of citizenship, could vote for the election of the mayor, schoolteacher, town council members, etc., likewise had the right to go into the community-owned forest land to chop a specified amount of firewood each year) 16. The seller retains the front upper part of the barn (part of the house structure) for the storage of crop harvest. 17. The Käuferin (female buyer, that is in this case Felicitas) receives, in addition to a 6 times the minimum dowry amount, two cows, one as part of the purchase and the other as part of the dowry. 18. Two tables along with three guest tables, three chairs and two Schrannen (boxes to sit on) in the main room, and also the sofa behind the oven are left for the Käuferin (Felicitas). 19. The father-in-law approves the common use of whatever household utensils/kitchenware there is (this suggests that both families would share the kitchen). And finally, 20. If either the father-in-law or the son-in-law should die, the widow is not allowed to remarry (this was very difficult to translate, partly because of archaic phrases and partly because it was not written very clearly). The Brauhaus (brewery) is mentioned in this last Condtion, but I could not figure out its connection. I think that Elias had concerns that should Conrad die, and his widow Felicitas then remarry, the new husband would then own the entire property and this could leave Elias and Anna Elisabeth in an uncertain situation and with no guarantee of a place of residence and all the other things which this marriage contract had provided for the sellers). The balance of 2000 Gulden in cash was required before the "deal" could be final. Whether Conrad had brought this with him from Feldstetten, or this had been paid jointly by him and Felicitas, this is not indicated. I would guess that this money came from Conrad and perhaps with some help from his step-father, the innkeeper and brewer in Feldstetten? Along with the above mentioned building and equipment, the purchase included crop and pasture land. Perhaps 12-14 different very small parcels. The measurements shown are abbreviated symbols which I don't begin to understand. If I recall from Dr. Kiess' book, this property included something like 8-10 acres of land. Would Conrad have farmed this land himself? I don't know. PROBABLY he had his hands full with the brewery and inn and may well have sublet this land. Farm equipment was, however, included in this transaction. And did Elias still own other land? I don't know, but the Condition # 12 suggests that he did. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed hearing this interesting story. It was a pleasure for me to share it with you." (A letter emailed to (pre-Homepage) SchwenkNet in Oct. 1996 by Don Schwenk)