The Middle Ages
After the Roman era, Frankish and Merovingian kings continued to reside in the former Praetorium, or Regia, using it as the royal palace. Although some of the splendour of the Roman palace had vanished, Cologne continued to be the centre of power. However, we know today that this time was characterized by cruel family disputes, treasures and power struggles.
Around 780/90 AD, during the rule of Emperor Charlemagne, an earthquake put an end to the historical legacy of the Praetorium, destroying it in only a few minutes. After this incident, the palace was not rebuilt again. Instead, a merchant quarter apparently developed on the royal fiscal ground that also accommodated Jewish residents. Also the royal Supervisor in charge of the Market seems to have been stationed here, so that his residence can be called a direct "descendant" of the Praetorium. Later on, this building was transformed into the House of the Citizens (domus civium) and became the residence of the Richerzeche or de-facto governing patricians' Company of the Rich, from which the Town Hall eventually developed in the late Middle Ages.
In the first quarter of the fourteenth century, the City Council erected a prestige building in the Gothic style, the Hansasaal (Hanse Hall). On their tour through the Archaeological Zone and Jewish Museum, visitors will pass through the hall's underground vault. In the cellar of the Ratsturm, the ‘Council Tower whose construction was begun in 1407, valuable utensils and documents will illustrate the historic development of the City of Cologne and the City Council.
Over the course of time, the Jewish population settled in increasing density around the Synagogue as people sought to be close to the religious centre and communal facilities (Mikveh, warm pool, bakery, hospital, etc.).
The excavations at the southern Town Hall Square brought to light the foundation and cellar walls of large Romanesque town houses. In the Middle Ages, Cologne was a centre of trade and export. The entire excavation area, not only the contemporary street, carried the name ‘Unter Goldschmied' (‘Among Goldsmiths'), Inter aurifices. This is where goldsmiths as well as Christian and Jewish merchants lived. Especially the finds of assay stones, moulds and small trachyte furnaces prove that goldsmiths worked at the spot.
Although the first real estate records of Cologne written in the twelfth century, the so called ‘Schreinskarten' and ‘Schreinsbucher', tell us that the houses already existed at the time of writing, the excavations revealed that they are considerably older. Nearly all essential walls and fundaments show Roman substance of up to 4.5 m high. Therefore, the allotment structures of the Middle Ages that existed until the Modern Era were already pre-formed in Roman Times.