Hotel Badischer Hof (Baden-Baden)

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The south facade of the hotel with the three-bowl fountain (2018)

The Badischer Hof is a hotel in Baden-Baden . It was created 1807–1809 through the renovation of an old Capuchin monastery by Friedrich Weinbrenner and was the first luxury hotel in Baden-Baden and the first palace hotel in Germany.

history

founding

In 1630, Margrave Wilhelm von Baden-Baden founded the Capuchin Monastery of Baden-Baden as part of the Counter-Reformation movement out of grateful memory of the two Capuchins who had brought him the joyful news of Tilly's victory over the Protestant Margrave Georg Friedrich von Baden-Durlach in 1622. It was built southwest of the city, in front of the city wall on the left bank of the Oos . The German Emperor allowed the men of the order to use the thermal water, which is still used today. In the rooms of the monastery building, thermal water at 37 degrees flows directly into the bathtubs. In 1689, the city of Baden-Baden and also the Capuchin monastery fell victim to the expansionist urge of the French King Louis XIV . 30,000 French soldiers had marched into the area between the Rhine and Neckar and destroyed the city.

The Capuchin monastery, which was initially spared, was burned down on November 6, 1689. The monastery was not restored until five years later, between 1694 and 1698. The Capuchins were active for another century until the monastery was abolished and expropriated on February 12, 1807. The Capuchin convent had to move to Bruchsal and was very angry about it. The Capuchins felled an imposing cedar tree in the cloister courtyard, sold the precious wood to a local carpenter and took a supposed Dürer picture along with other objects of art. However, the Secret Council of the Grand Duchy decided that the Capuchins had to pay back the income from the cedar wood as compensation.

Remodeling in the 19th century

Photo from 1863 without adding another floor and the loggias added between 1922 and 1924
Painting by Otto Albert Koch, 1911

The Stuttgart publisher Johann Friedrich Cotta had long had the idea of ​​building Europe's first luxury hotel in his hometown. However, in the city, which is characterized by historical buildings, there was no opportunity to erect such a large structure. In 1807 he then had the opportunity to have the old Capuchin monastery rebuilt in his favor by the well-known architect Friedrich Weinbrenner.

In 1807 the conversion to the luxury hotel Badischer Hof began with 18 Doric columns extending over three floors, which made the dining room the eye-catcher. The room suites, some with their own bathroom, were built over the former monks' cells, while the Kreuzgarten was vaulted into a dining room. 100 rooms and salons, baths with thermal water supply, conversation, reading and smoking rooms, gallery and breakfast salon were just as much part of the equipment as a large park after completion of the construction work. After 1830, the luxury hotel changed hands several times.

20th century until today

A three-bowl fountain created by Ernst Walker and operated with thermal water has stood in the hotel's garden since 1925 . For a long time it was the identification mark of the Südwestfunk and became a symbol of Baden-Baden.

After the Second World War, the hotel was taken over by the Steigenberger family .

Before that, however, the unique building almost fell victim to the flames again. On October 1, 1949, the hotel, which the French occupying forces had already released for its actual use in March of that year, caught fire, not only completely destroying the dining room, which had become a hall, but also the roof structure went up in flames.

The reconstruction, expansion, modernization and improvement work were done in a very short time and the Badhotel Badischer Hof resumed its function as a high-class hotel on May 27, 1950 under the direction of the Steigenberger family. From the end of 2009 onwards, the building with its 140 guest rooms at that time was completely renovated for almost a year. The investment volume at the start of the work was estimated at 34 million euros. In addition to the rooms, the focus was on the renovation of the listed columned hall and the increase in the entrance area. The bath and sauna area has been doubled to 1,800 square meters.

Since April 1, 2009, the Badischer Hof has belonged to the Rezidor Hotel Group and is run under the name Radisson Blu Badischer Hof Hotel with 139 rooms.

literature

  • Ulrich Coenen: From Aquae to Baden-Baden - The building history of the city and its contribution to the development of spa architecture. Verlagshaus Mainz, Aachen, Mainz 2008, ISBN 978-3-8107-0023-0 , pp. 497-504.

Web links

Commons : Hotel Badischer Hof  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Clemens Kieser, Karlfriedrich Ohr, Wolfgang Stopfel, Martin Walter: Art and cultural monuments in the Rastatt district and in Baden-Baden. Konrad-Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-8062-1599-5 , p. 63.
  2. ^ Steigenberger renovated In: Immobilien Zeitung October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ Badischer Hof is now a Radisson Blu In: Immobilien Zeitung July 23, 2009. Accessed September 29, 2015.

Coordinates: 48 ° 45 ′ 54.6 "  N , 8 ° 14 ′ 11"  E