They bear witness to upswing and prosperity: the old merchant and trader properties in Flensburg. In the heyday of the 15th and 16th centuries, they were built on long, narrow plots, often more than 100 metres long. In the front building, facing the street, offices and living rooms were located, in the back, the space was taken up by the warehouse. In the middle of the 18th century, trading-businesses flourished. At first sugar and later also rum: these were goods that were imported from the former Danish-West Indian colonies. During this period, merchants and traders needed more space for the goods, accordingly houses were extended backwards by a transverse courtyard (Querspeicher), thus assuming their typical appearance. Preferably, the properties had a gate with direct access to the landing docks. These wealthier houses were located on the “Groschen” side (“dime”), opposed to the smaller houses on the “Pfennig” side (“cent”). The latter were occupied by craftsmen and carters.