View source for Ratskeller

{{Short description|German term for bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall}}
{{about|Ratskeller in general|the live music venue in Boston|The Rathskeller}}
[[File:Picswiss SO-18-16.jpg|thumb|The Rathskeller in [[Olten]], Switzerland]]
'''Ratskeller''' (German: "council's [[Basement|cellar]]", pl. ''Ratskeller'', historically ''Rathskeller'') is a name in [[German-speaking countries]] for a [[bar (establishment)|bar]] or [[restaurant]] located in the basement of a city hall (''Rathaus'') or nearby. Many [[tavern]]s, [[nightclub]]s, bars and similar establishments throughout the world use the term.
==Notable examples==
===Germany===
[[File:Bremen Ratskeller um 1900.jpg|thumb|right|The Bremen Ratskeller, c. 1900]]
The [[Bremen Ratskeller]], erected in 1405, has one of the oldest [[wine cellar]]s in Germany and was a centre of the wine trade in [[Bremen]].
The [[:de:Ratskeller zu Lübeck|Ratskeller]] in [[Lübeck]] is one of the oldest in northern Germany, with parts dating from the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] era. The earliest documented use for wine storage dates from circa 1220.
===North America===
[[File:Athenaeum-noon-TM.jpg|thumb|The former ''Das Deutsche Haus'' in Indianapolis, today known as the Athenaeum]]
The [[Athenæum (Das Deutsche Haus)]] Ratskeller restaurant in Indianapolis, known as the Athenaeum, received historic landmark status and has served [[Bavarian cuisine]] since 1894.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 14, 2008|title=Rathskeller - History|url=http://www.rathskeller.com/history.htm|website=Rathskeller.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514114855/http://www.rathskeller.com/history.htm|archive-date=14 May 2008}}</ref>
The [[California Hall (San Francisco, California)|California Hall]] (formerly Das Deutches Haus) was built in 1912 in San Francisco and had a Rathskeller restaurant in the basement.<ref>{{cite book|last=Selvin|first=Joel|year=1996|title=San Francisco: The Musical History Tour: A Guide to Over 200 of the Bay Area's Most Memorable Music Sites|url={{GBUrl|hxCLmGXGuHIC|pg=PA72}}|page=72|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=978-0-8118-1007-4}}</ref>
[[The Rathskeller]] in Boston was a famous rock and roll club from 1974 to 1997, a locus of Boston's [[alternative rock]] scene, hosting local bands like [[The Cars]] and [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]] as well as many other bands such as [[The Police]] and [[Metallica]] before they achieved breakthrough fame.
The [[Minnesota State Capitol]], completed in 1905, contains a Rathskeller that was renovated in 2017. It contains 29 painted German mottoes and currently serves as a cafe.<ref>{{cite web|title=Restoration of Capitol Rathskeller Reveals Long-Hidden Art|url=http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/rathskeller.php|publisher=[[Minnesota Historical Society]]|access-date=17 August 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027030525/http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/rathskeller.php|archive-date=27 October 2014}}</ref>
The Rathskeller & Gardens, in [[State College, Pennsylvania]], adjacent to the [[University Park, Pennsylvania|University Park]] campus of [[Pennsylvania State University|Penn State University]], was opened by State College resident, "Pop" Flood, three days after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The All-American Rathskeller |url=http://theskeller.com/skeller-history |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=The All-American Rathskeller |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=All-American Rathskeller - Centre County Encyclopedia of History & Culture |url=https://centrehistory.org/article/all-american-rathskeller/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1934, Flood sold to C.C. “Doggie” Alexander, who changed the name to "The All-American Rathskeller", the name that remained with the bar until it closed on January 28, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleiter |first=Sue |date=2018-01-28 |title=So long All-American Rathskeller: Revered State College bar closes after 85 years in business |url=https://www.pennlive.com/food/2018/01/rathskeller_closing_state_coll_1.html |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=pennlive |language=en}}</ref>
==Campus dining==
Many [[university|universities]] and public institutions have [[pub]]s or [[student center]] dining facilities located in repurposed basements. To market these nontraditional eating locations, many are termed "Ratskeller" or some variation thereof.
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* [[Binghamton University]]: The original SUNY rathskeller and often referred to as "The Rat".{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
* [[Kent State University]]: KSU’s Rathskeller, shortened to “The Rat”, is in the basement of the student center, and has been active to varying degrees since the 1970s. It had a stage for live music and had served food and alcohol to students of age into the early 2000s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clarke|first=Grace|url=https://kentwired.com/86956/latest-updates/the-rat-makes-a-comeback|title=The Rat makes a comeback|website=KentWired|date=September 19, 2022}}</ref>
* [[Boston College]] ("The Rat")<ref>{{cite web|last=Czerwienski|first=Tim|year=2006|title=Linden Lane - Changes at the Rat|url=https://bcm.bc.edu/issues/fall_2006/linden_lane/changes-at-the-rat.html/|website=[[Boston College]]|access-date=11 May 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404114016/https://bcm.bc.edu/issues/fall_2006/linden_lane/changes-at-the-rat.html/|archive-date=4 April 2016}}</ref>
* [[Colorado State University]] ("The Ramskeller")<ref>{{cite web|date=25 May 2004|title=LSC Dining Services|url=https://lscdolby.sc.colostate.edu/dining/ramskeller.asp|website=[[Colorado State University]]|access-date=11 May 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060910205856/https://lscdolby.sc.colostate.edu/dining/ramskeller.asp|archive-date=10 September 2006}}</ref>
* [[Union College]] ("The Rathskeller", known as "Skeller" among students, located under The Old Chapel) <ref>{{cite web|date=3 February 2022|title=Union College Hospitality|url=https://uchospitality.com/|website=[[Union College]]}}</ref>
* [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]] ("The Ram's Head Rathskeller", better known as "The Rat", opened in 1948 and closed in 2008)<ref>{{cite web|last=Mann|first=Charly|title=The Rat (Ramshead Rathskeller)|url=http://www.chapelhillmemories.com/cat/8/4|website=ChapelHillMemories.com|access-date=11 May 2021|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002081400/http://www.chapelhillmemories.com/cat/8/4|archive-date=2 October 2010}}</ref>
* [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] ("Der Rathskeller")<ref>{{cite web|url=https://union.wisc.edu/dine/find-food-and-drink/der-rathskeller/|title=Der Rathskeller » Wisconsin Union|website=[[University of Wisconsin–Madison]]}}</ref>
* [[University at Buffalo]] (SUNY) had a facility called The Rathskeller<ref>{{cite journal|last=Medina|first=Estela|date=27 August 1978|title=FSA clarifies its position on approval of license application|url=https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/np00130006/1978-09-27/ed-1/seq-9/|page=9|website=[[The Spectrum (University at Buffalo)]]|issue=1978/09/27 |access-date=11 May 2021}}</ref> that served food, alcohol, and occasionally had live music. It was housed in Squire Hall, and closed for good when that building was renovated starting in 1982.
* [[University of California, San Diego]]: Muir College had a facility called The Rathskeller<ref>{{cite web|year=2008|title=John Muir College Historic Resources Inventory & Preservation Plan|url=https://plandesignbuild.ucsd.edu/_files/plans/MuirHistResInv.pdf|website=[[University of California, San Diego]]|access-date=11 May 2021}}</ref> that served food and non-alcoholic drinks. It was housed in Muir Commons, but was later replaced by the El Mercado restaurant.
* [[McMaster University]] had a student pub called The Rathskeller for over thirty years, in the basement of The Refectory dining hall. It closed in the early 2000s and was replaced with a restaurant.<ref>{{cite web|date=11 February 2004|title=Rathskeller to become diversity cafi|url=https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/articles/posted-on-feb-11-rathskeller-to-become-diversity-cafi/|work=Daily News|publisher=[[McMaster University]]|access-date=11 May 2021}}</ref>
* [[University of Florida]]: Built in the 1960s, the Rathskeller was a dining hall, bar and concert venue. Irish rock group [[U2]] played their second U.S. show at this venue to a crowd of over 700 attendees in 1981. UF President [[Stephen C. O'Connell|Stephen O'Connell]] worked in the dining hall as a youth. The venue closed in 1987 after a grease fire caused extensive damage.<ref>{{cite web|date=14 February 2017|title=The Johnson Hall Fire of 1987|url=https://behindthebuildings.wordpress.com/2017/02/14/the-johnson-hall-fire-of-1987/}}</ref>
* [[Florida Institute of Technology]] ("Rathskeller Eatery & Convenience Store", known as "The Rat" among students)<ref>{{cite web|title=New Vegan Food Menus Arise on Campus|url=https://www.crimson.fit.edu/new-vegan-food-menus-arise-on-campus/article_8c3e4d68-b47e-5613-a7a4-c73a03a7eb17.html|website=The Florida Tech Crimson|date=November 2016 |access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=24 March 2016|title=Where Can I Eat?|url=https://news.fit.edu/psychology_behavior_analysis/where-can-i-eat/|website=[[Florida Institute of Technology]]|access-date=17 January 2022}}</ref>
* [[Oberlin College]] (also known as "the Rat")<ref>{{cite web|date=24 October 2016|title=Facilities: Rathskeller|url=https://www.oberlin.edu/rathskeller|website=[[Oberlin College]] and Conservatory}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Beer garden]]
* [[Beer hall]]
* [[Index of drinking establishment-related articles]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Ratskeller}}
{{Drinking establishments}}
[[Category:Types of drinking establishment]]
[[Category:German cuisine]]
[[Category:German words and phrases]]