THE ABANDONED HOTEL IN GERMANY
This is the former luxury ‘Hotel Fürstenhof’ in Eisenach, Germany. The complex was used as a hotel for almost 100 years until it was closed and abandoned in 1996.
In 1854, the master butcher Samuel Liebetrau built its summer house on this site. Later, in 1861 Johann Georg Bornemann, a geologist and building contractor, bought the property and built Villa Bornemann. The villa was resold and extended after his death in 1902. Eventually the ‘Kurhaus Hotel Fürstenhof’ opened on 15 May 1902. Eisenach wanted to become a fashionable spa town.
Even though the best times of the spa towns were unfortunately already over. A casino was built on the terrace of the hotel in 1920. In 1928, a fire destroyed the ballroom. In time it was rebuilt in a simpler form and could now accommodate up to 2000 guests. Additionally, the ballroom was also used for election events. For instance on 23 October 1932 Adolf Hitler was the main speaker there. He held an electoral speech for the Reichstag elections of 6 November.
Military rehabilitation center
During the Second World War it was used as a home and rehabilitation center for war wounded soldiers. Surprisingly, the building remained undamaged during the Second World War and served as a shelter for the homeless and refugees after the German surrender.
In the following years the hotel was renovated and also used as a location for various cultural, sports and dance events. In the 1950s the house was renamed the ‘Hotel Stadt Eisenach’. However its original name came back in 1991. Eventually the hotel closed in 1996 and has been abandoned ever since. Vandalism and lack of maintenance resulted in a today’s bad condition. I visited the hotel in 2016 and 2019. Check here for more abandoned hotels.
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