Recently, a forum buddy asked me for pictures of old German schützen houses and range buildings. So I decided to start a thread here, where each forum member can see the pics from the archive and share the historical information.

Introduction

The range buildings and schützen houses in the old German Reich are very interesting, because they were so different - they vary greatly depending on the region.

In North Germany, Prussia, Salisia, and Pommerania, the buildings often looked like huge railway stations, with a park and the range in the backyard. Inside the building was a huge ballroom, mainly used for all events of the town, theater, urban activities. Because the shooters and their club were eminently respectable and often they owned the biggest hall in the town.

In the middle ages, when the bigger towns still had defense wall round town, the shooting house was inside the wall. Because the shooters had to defend the town in case of an attack. Sometimes the range was outside the wall, shooters shot from the range building inside the town out of the windows to the targets. 

Towns were growing and growing, there was not anymore enough room for a range in the town or close to the town. The shooters were not anymore responsible for the safety and guaranty of the town, they kept their regular schützen house inside town walls for amenities and club meetings, but they erected another small building far outside, for practice, shooting, and schützen fest events. 

Most of the time the schützen house had a very good restaurant inside, and a coffee house, even hotels were integrated. Those were the places were the better situated families went on Sunday, kids could play in the yard, even a "Kegelbahn" (kind of German bowling alleys) was there.   

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This is an example for a mid size rural range. 
It was located near Au-Hallertau, a region approx. 70 miles north of Munich, Bavaria, south Germany.

I think this postcard picture was taken approx. 1910.

Same building in Beuthen.
View to the inside of the fence/wall, which they had around the property.

Here we can see the restaurant and beergarden outside.

Postcard of 1914, before WWI started.

The question is: "Was there one schützenhaus in Germany without beergarden?"

               

Thank you Biggi, I think it's a national priority that every city have a Schützenhouse with a 200 yard range as well as a heated and air-conditioned 50 ft. indoor gallery range. From what I've heard....the Schützenhouses here in America each had a bar which financed much of the club's activities, but these were victims of the Volstead Act. 

Vielen Dank Biggi!  Thank you very much for posting these.

I hope that from time to time more will be added to these- maybe even some more of the activities that were included- shooting, dining, even that bowling. It's neat stuff. Thank you young lady

Interesting photos. Would be something to see in person.