Juliusspitälischer Freihof

The Würzburg Julusspital buys in 1694 a site in the village center of Laudenbach, in order to let live in the existing houses there exclusively Jews. There are five houses on the site of the formerly noble Freihof, but a total of 11 Jewish families live there in a very small space.  Since the houses are partly very dilapidated, the administration of the Julusspital plans extensive building measures in the 18th century. Draft plans for the construction of a Jewish house with a total of 10 families were submitted. The local population feared that the Jewish population would be alienated, and the local priest and the mayor of Laudenbach wrote harsh letters of complaint to the prince-bishop of Würzburg. The Juliusspital defends itself: the houses had been bought with the prince-bishop's permission and the previous owners of the Freihof, the Lords of Fechenbach, had already kept Jews in the houses and collected protection money. The building measures are not realized. After extensive expert opinions, the Juliusspital decided in 1787 to sell the dilapidated houses to the Jews living there. As a result, the hospital misses the rent payments, but not the income from the high Jewish protection fees.