(note) Exzellenzhaus

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The surviving building known today as the Exhaus (short for Exzellenzhaus) was originally the Baroque East Wing of the Abbey of Sankt Maria ad Martyres (St. Mergen). Constructed during the 18th-century rebuilding phase of the monastery, this structure served as the pivotal economic, administrative, and hospitality engine for the entire monastic estate.

While the main abbey church and cloisters were destroyed following secularization under Napoleon in 1802, the East Wing survived because its functional design made it immensely useful for secular adaptions. The Historical Mission & Function of the Building

Under the Abbey of St. Mergen, the building carried out four primary missions essential to the abbey's survival, wealth, and community standing:

1. Administrative Hub & Cellarer's Command Center

As the administrative center for the abbey's vast agricultural network, this wing housed the offices of the Brother Cellarer (Cellerarius) and estate stewards. It was here that the monks:

Cataloged Estate Yields: Tracked incoming harvests from the abbey’s vineyards (including the famed Scharzhofberg slopes), orchards (Pomerium), and kitchen gardens (Hortus).

Managed Financial Records: Maintained the business ledgers, lease contracts with tenant farmers, tax rolls, and shipping logs for trade along the Moselle River.

2. Processing, Storage, and Commerce

The ground floors and extensive subterranean vaults were designed specifically for agricultural economics and trade logistics:

Wine Vaults & Press Houses: Secured and aged high-value Moselle Riesling and cask wines before they were shipped to regional market fairs in Trier or further down the Rhine.

Provisions & Preservation: Served as the central repository for long-lasting trade goods produced by the monks—such as aromatic wine vinegars, medicinal salves, dried fruit rations, and mustard pastes.

3. Hospitium (High-Level Hospitality)

Located outside the strict enclosure (clausura) of the monk's private living quarters, the East Wing functioned as an official reception lodge. It provided dining rooms and comfortable lodgings for:

Visiting dignitaries, noble patrons, imperial officials, and church emissaries.

Merchants and trade partners negotiating bulk agricultural purchases.

4. The Infirmary & Apothecary Connection

The wing provided immediate access to the abbey’s Herbularius (physic garden). It was utilized for processing harvested medicinal herbs into tinctures, oxymels, and healing balms used in the monastic infirmary and distributed to travelers. How it Became Known as the "Exhaus"

After Napoleon dissolved St. Mergen in 1802 and sold off the property, Prussia took control of the region in 1815. The military recognized the utility of the sturdy Baroque east wing and repurposed it as a residence and headquarters for high-ranking military commanders and officers—referred to locally as "His Excellency" (Exzellenz).

Over time, the local Trier populace shortened Exzellenzhaus to simply Exhaus, the name that stuck as the building evolved into a historic socio-cultural center in the 20th century.

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