San Antonio Street, ca. 1900 (New Braunfels Convention and Visitors Bureau)
Naegelin’s Bakery
An early image of Naegelin’s (New Braunfels Convention and Visitors Bureau)
Bakers at the Plumeyer Bakery, 1913. The former bakery building on San Antonio St. is now home to the New Braunfels Art League Gallery
Henne Hardware, ca. 1970s.
Inside Henne Hardware today.
The Old Schmitz Hotel, ca. 1865 (now Guadalupe Hotel)
Schmitz Hotel (Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0.)
The Comal Hotel (now Prince Solms Inn)
Prince Solms Inn (Travis K. Witt CC Y-SA 3.0)
A downtown stroll reveals many architectural reminders of New Braunfels’ early German past. One gem, the fachwerk Klein-Naegelin house, is probably the oldest remaining house in town (ca. 1845-46). Treat yourself to a famous streudel at Naegelin’s Bakery – one of the state’s oldest bakeries, founded by Prince Solms’ baker and taken over in 1868 by Alsatian immigrant Edouard Naegelin, Sr. And just like you could more than a century-and-a-half ago, you can still walk down the street and buy a hammer at Henne Hardware — its present Victorian building dating to 1893.
Want to sleep surrounded by history? One option is the remodeled Schmitz Hotel, which German immigrant Jacob Schmitz bought in 1858 to turn into his “Guadalupe Hotel.” Or perhaps stay at the old Comal Hotel – now the Prince Solms Inn – built in 1898. Walking and driving tours of downtown and beyond are available on New Braunfels’ mobile app.
Historic Downtown New Braunfels
- Seguin and San Antonio Sts., New Braunfels, TX
- 800-572-2626
- Visit Website
- Several structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
