Ochsenhauser Court

This half-timbered house was built around 1339/1340.

The Ochsenhauser Hof used to be the manor of Ochsenhausen Monastery. The town allowed monasteries within the town walls to establish these manors, akin to embassies in today's terms. These manors had specific privileges, but they were not citizens of the town and had no voice or right to decide anything in the town. However, they enhanced the town's reputation. Later, the Ochsenhausener Hof served as the seat of the Catholic mayor for a while and then, until 1962, it was the Biberach Wieland Gymnasium (high school). Today, it's a meeting place for the elderly.

In addition to the Ochsenhauser Hof, there were other manors and townhouses of the monasteries in Biberach. Even more distant monasteries were represented, such as Salem with the Salmannsweiler Hof. These manors served for managing goods, provided citizen rights, duty-free trade, and unrestricted access to the town's markets. They also offered accommodations for traveling monks, served as residences for abbots, and provided protection during times of unrest and wars.