Eine Sandsteinplakette von 1617 am Haus Weberstraße 1 zeigt zwei Waisenkinder in zeitgenössischer Kleidung und in betender Haltung. Es erinnert an das kurz nach der Reformation im Jahre 1546/1547 gegründete Waisenhaus, das eine der ersten sozialen Einrichtungen der Stadt war.
After a terrible famine following a bitterly cold winter and subsequent food shortages, many people were forced to subsist on tree bark and grass. Diseases spread. Many children lost their parents and were left destitute. The situation was dire not only in Lübeck.
The Lübeck children's welfare institution was initially established on Mühlenstraße. In 1557, it moved to the building of the Michaelis Convent. Legitimate children from the age of eight were admitted, each with two guardians. They were educated there and usually remained until their confirmation. The children wore a costume bearing the cross of the Michaelis Convent.