Ratskeller
Ratskeller (German: "council's cellar", pl. Ratskeller, historically Rathskeller) is a name in German-speaking countries for a bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall (Rathaus) or nearby. Many taverns, nightclubs, bars, and similar establishments throughout the world use the term.[1]
The word had been used in English since the mid-19th century,[1] with at least one New York restaurant calling itself a rathskeller in the 19th century.[2]
Notable Ratskeller
Germany
The Bremen Ratskeller, erected in 1405, has one of the oldest wine cellars in Germany and was a center of the wine trade in Bremen.
The Ratskeller in Lübeck is one of the oldest Ratskeller in northern Germany, with parts dating to the Romanesque era. The earliest documented use for wine storage dates to the year 1220.
North America
Das Deutsche Haus Ratskeller restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana, received historic landmark status. Now called the Athenaeum, it has served Bavarian fare since 1894.
The Minnesota State Capitol, completed in 1905, contains a rathskeller that was recently renovated and restored in 2017. The rathskeller contains 29 painted mottoes in German and was home to a full service restaurant when it opened in 1905. Currently, the rathskeller is home to a cafe serving legislators and the public. [3]
American establishments tend to spell the word as Rathskeller to avoid similarity with the word rat.
Campus dining
Many universities and public institutions have pubs or student center dining facilities located in repurposed basements. To market these nontraditional eating locations to students and patrons, many of these are termed "Ratskellers" including:
- Boston College ("The Rat")
- Bowie State University
- Binghamton University
- Brown University ("The Ratty")
- California Institute of Technology
- Colgate University (in the basement of the Colgate Inn)
- Colorado State University ("The Ramskeller")
- Cornell College
- Florida Institute of Technology (also known as Florida's best)
- Florida International University (also known as Gracie's Grill)
- Fordham University ("The Ramskeller")
- Gallaudet University
- George Mason University
- Hofstra University
- Hollins University
- Kansas State University ("The Catskellar", in the Student Union)
- Kent State University
- Minnesota State Capitol
- Montclair State University
- Oberlin College
- The Open University
- The Pennsylvania State University ("The Skeller")
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rochester Institute of Technology (RITskeller)
- Rutgers University-Camden
- St. Bonaventure University
- St. John's University - Staten Island Campus
- State University of New York College at Old Westbury
- The College of New Jersey (located in the Brower Student Center, referred to as "The Rat", a late-night dining hall also exists below two residence halls.)
- Transylvania University ("The Rafskellar", a nod to 19th-century professor Constantine Samuel Rafinesque)
- Tulane University
- Union College (Opened on December 2, 1949 as the Dutchmen's Rathskeller)
- University of California, San Diego
- University of Cincinnati ("The Catskeller")
- University of Connecticut
- University of Dallas
- University of Göttingen
- University of Miami
- University of North Carolina ("The Ram's Head Rathskeller, better known as "The Rat", opened in 1948 & closed in 2008)
- University of Tampa
- University of West Florida
- University of Wisconsin–Madison
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania
- Wheeling Jesuit University
Popular culture
Child actress Adele De Garde starred in a 1918 silent movie called The Rathskeller and the Rose. The 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds, features a prolonged sequence taking place in a Ratskeller in France.
See also
References
- 1 2 Your Etymological Queries Answered
- ↑ Menu of "Haan's Ladies' and Gentlemen's Restaurant, Cafe and Rathskeller" dated December 22, 1899.
- ↑ "State Capitol Rathskeller". MNHS. Retrieved 17 August 2018.