GaM Das Ingelheimer Steuerwesen

History at Noon
“Pecunia non olet” – Taxation in Ingelheim Since the 15th Century
Short Lecture

“Money doesn’t stink” is what Emperor Vespasian is said to have exclaimed angrily around 70 C.E., when his subjects had repeatedly complained about the latrine tax he had introduced. Officially, the collection of this valuable—though not exactly fragrant—raw material resulting from human nature was intended to provide valuable services to the tanners’ guild; behind the scenes, however, this highly ingenious tax naturally contributed significantly to increasing state revenues.
For at least five millennia, taxes have demonstrably been the most important source of revenue for the ruling authority, especially in times of war. Tribute, customs duties, bede, tithes, fronde, interest, assessments, contributions—synonyms for the simplest way to increase wealth, sometimes in extremely creative ways. The curiosities of taxation led, among other things, to a beard tax and a bed tax, a window tax and a door tax, a maiden tax and a sparrow tax, as well as an umbrella tax and a fire bucket tax.

The Ingelheim City Archives preserve numerous documents—beginning with the “Haderbücher”—relating to Ingelheim’s tax system over the past approximately 550 years. Join us on a journey through time to the Electoral Palatinate and the Napoleonic era, where you’ll not only hear about the legal dispute over the Ober-Ingelheim tithe—which lasted nearly two centuries—but also marvel at the impressive tax registers, assessment ledgers, and master rolls—true to the motto “Money always smells good, no matter where it comes from!”

Lecture: Nadine Gerhard, M.A., Ingelheim am Rhein City Archives
Register by phone by November 10, 2026, at the museum / limited capacity
Admission: €4.00 (includes 1 cup of coffee and 1 sweet treat)