A tale of taverns and amphibians: the Paddenwirt
Between Spandauer Straße and the banks of the Spree, there is an inn whose name puzzles many visitors: the restaurant Zum Paddenwirt. It is located just a stone’s throw away from where the first fortified crossing over the Spree was built in the Middle Ages at the northern end of Mühlendamm.
Numerous merchants had settled here because of the river and the nearby Spree crossing, and lively trading and bargaining was already taking place at the nearby Molkenmarkt, then still called Alter Markt or Olde Markt, even before Berlin and Cölln were first mentioned. Among other goods, food was also conveniently delivered by boat via the Spree.
The area around the Spree riverbank, which is now completely fortified, was once home to all kinds of creatures—including lots of toads, which were called “Padden” at the time. For this reason, there was also a Paddengasse (Toad Alley) here since the Middle Ages with 15 houses and a “length of 100 steps,” which only disappeared from the city maps in 1862 due to overbuilding.
In medieval Berlin, the Nikolaiviertel was a district that was primarily characterized by craftsmen from various guilds—a place where people worked hard. As we all know, hard work makes you hungry and thirsty, so it was only natural that many taverns opened here to provide people with hearty food and beer.
Then it just so happened that one evening, a pub owner didn’t quite feel like unloading his beer barrels from the barge. Transporting all those beer barrels obviously didn’t go without a hitch, and so one of the big barrels was leaking a bit that night. It must have been mid to late March, because the toad migration had just started.
In the morning, when the innkeeper went to get his beer from the barge, he was greeted by hundreds of drunken frogs, which followed him the few steps to the inn, where a small pool of beer had formed from the leaky barrel. The toads went completely crazy. They jumped unrestrainedly over tables and benches—much to the amusement of guests and passersby. The innkeeper’s good hospitality toward the amphibians earned him his nickname—and from then on he was known as “Du olle Padde” (You old toad).
Today’s restaurant “Zum Paddenwirt” is located on the corner of Mühlendamm and Eiergasse. It serves hearty classics typical of Berlin cuisine, from potato soup to homemade aspic with tartar sauce. And, of course, the restaurant’s namesake—a large toad—still adorns the façade today.
Another interesting feature and a real eye-catcher for great Nikolaiviertel photos is the historic draw well in the Paddenwirt’s beer garden. It has a diameter of 2 meters, is made of red-speckled marble, and is crowned with a wrought-iron ornament.
