Between 1794 and 1815, during the annexation of the city of Cologne into the French Empire, ruler and general Napoleon visited the city of Cologne several times. During this time he was married to his first wife Josephine. However, Napoleon was not a fan of food and had a great weakness for valuable, expensive and beautiful things. He was enthusiastic about the German art of baking and repeatedly came to the bakery at KUPFERGASSE 10. He not only developed a weakness for the bakery's delicacies, but also for the staff.
Toni Schuster was a pioneer of the baking trade and his bakery was known beyond the city limits. However, it was his sister Gertrud who turned Napoleon's head behind the sales counter. “The beautiful Gerdi” is said to have been the real reason why he came to Kupfergasse so often. She later reports that he occasionally bought all the bread and pastries available to give her an early start.
Gertrud lived in the last room under the attic. She writes in letters that she and Napoleon often had to sneak past the rooms of the other family members. After all, the liason, or “Fisternöllche” in Kölsch, was not allowed to become known. We named this room “Josephine” to commemorate the betrayed wife.
The building is now a listed building and our house is named “La Belle 10” (the beautiful ten) based on “beautiful Gerdi” and our house number.
