We start our city tour at the old port after we - coming from one of the car parks or park houses - reach the old town centre.
The 'Schwedenspeicher' ( Swedish storehouse) was founded with direct entrance to the old port in 1692 as a provisions house of the Swedish garrison - from this comes the folkoristic name - after the old provisions house proved useless in the 1675/76 besieging of Stade.
The 41 metre long and 16 metre wide building was errected towards the waterside on ca. 10 metre high posts and put on an exinsting ashlar brick work.
The three floors above the ground floor are carried by two still intact old wooden stud rows with an outer brick work of solid brick. As it was meant to be at the length side is a lift shaft.
The rather plain building is decorated with a sand stone portal towards the street which is surrounded by prominent pillars. the broken gable shows a sand stone relief on a pedestal, a cartouche with the monogram CXII of the former ruling King Karl XII, with a kings crown above.
Noticable in the roof tiles are the long streching dormer airings.
As long as Stade was a fortress, officially until 1867, really until 1880/81, the Speicher (storage building) was used for military purposes and was used also after 1909, when the city bought the building, for storage. The question for a sensible use of this unique monument from the time of the Swedish Great Power was discussed at length until 1975 under the influence of a citizens' initiative the restauration began. Since the end of 1977 the Speicher is now used as a museum.
Deutschland
