The History Behind The Rathskeller

The Rathskeller, ranked one of Minnesota's top whiskey bars, occupies a fabled place in Duluth's history. Located beneath the city street in the basement of Duluth's original 1889 City Hall, it was once a holding cell for the municipal court one floor above and it also served as a coal furnace room during the building's time as the center of city government from 1889-1926.

In 1889, Duluth had several small city jails spread throughout the city, due to the city's unique shape and transportation limitations. Because of this, prisoners were taken from those old jails to City Hall for their day in court. They would wait in a makeshift holding cell housed in the sub-basement, today's "Rathskeller."

Rumors abound that the space was once used as a speakeasy during prohibition and patrons have reported ghostly sightings inside the bar.

Before the bar opened in 2012, it was just a basement with a dirt floor. The structure showed aesthetic promise with bluestone walls, brick archways, and sandstone supports. After being cleaned up, getting a newly poured cement floor, and fixing a rickety staircase, this became a unique location for a speakeasy bar that nods to the history of the building.

The Rathskeller name comes from the German word Ratskeller, which is defined as a tavern or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall. It derives from two nouns: Rat (also spelled Rath in early Modern German), which means "council," and Keller, which means "cellar."