Jakob Villinger, the general treasurer to King and Emperor Maximilian I, built the "Haus zum Walfisch" (House of the Whale) between 1514 and 1516.

The most famous scholar of his time, Desiderius Erasmus von Rotterdam, lived in the house between 1529 and 1531. He had fled from the Protestant Reformation in Basel to Freiburg, which remained loyal to the Roman Catholic Church.

Small changes were made to the house in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was totally renovated between 1909 and 1911, then burned to the ground in 1944 as a result of the City bombing. The "Haus zum Walfisch" was rebuilt between 1946 and 1948.

The imposing Late Gothic stone masonry work, especially in the splendid portal bay, is presumed to come from the vicinity of Freiburg's Münsterbauhütte (Cathedral Construction Cottage). The coats of arms of Freiburg's St. Georg and the Habsburgs hang on the side of the second-floor.

The delicate Rococo grilles in front of the upper story windows come from the house's original staircase doors, which were torn down in the 19th century. The magnificent portal on the courtyard's back wall is decorated with the City's coat of arms and seal.

The marble relief of Maximilian I (made from a wood cutting of Albrecht Dürer) was transferred from the house's interior to the courtyard after the rebuilding.