The tanning craft has been of great importance in Simmern and the surrounding area since the Middle Ages. The bark came from the surrounding communities, and the tanning businesses were located in Simmern itself. A princely decree from 1768 relocated the craft businesses to the area of today's Gerbereistraße. A city view from 1900 shows the situation. The craft tradition ended in Simmern in the 1930s.
The small tanning shed is one of the few architectural remnants of this craft. It served as a small workshop and, on the middle floor, as a drying shed for the hides. The side flaps could be used to regulate the airflow. The building itself dates back to the 19th century in its basic structure. During the restoration of the shed from 2012 to 2015, it was slightly relocated and raised from its flood-prone position. During these relocation works, an old tanning group was discovered, where the hides were tanned.
