House Weiße Kanne

Width at front originally c. 12.10 metres, later reduced
The (Weiße) Kanne was one of the few houses built during the creation of the Judengasse in 1462. This made it one of the oldest houses in the Judengasse. Originally it had to impressive width of c. 12 metres. Later, it was subdivided into three houses. The house, which also had a rear building, was occupied by numerous families for long or short periods. At times there were seven families living here with over 40 people in all. The social status of the families clearly varied widely. Besides small shopkeepers, peddlers and clothes dealers there were also very prosperous families engaged in moneylending and banking and in trading in silver. The rich and powerful Kann family has particularly strong ties with the Kanne. It lived in the house from the early 17th century until the demolition of the Judengasse, although the family also spread to other houses in the Judengasse. One of the occupants was probably Bär Löw Isaak Kann. By the mid18th century Kann had come to dominate the Jewish community and had roused strong opposition. The resulting power struggles are known as the Kulp-Kannsche disputes in the history of the Frankfurt Jews. In the great fires in the Judengasse in 1711, 1721 and 1796 the house was destroyed three times. It was rebuilt after the first two fires, but after the 1796 fire it was decided to redevelop the entire northern end of the Judengasse on spacious lines, in the course of which the house disappeared finally.