“Ever wondered about the building’s past?” I ask my tour group. We stand before the Fürstenhof a magnificent structure in Cologne’s Altstadt-Nord. This isn’t just any building. It’s a testament to Cologne’s history.
The Fürstenhof stands proudly opposite the Cologne Cathedral. Its prime location on the corner of Marzellenstraße and Trankgasse makes it one of Cologne’s most famous secular buildings. Before the Fürstenhof four buildings occupied this space. Then in 1888 the Hotel Englischer Hof was built. It was initially popular but soon failed to meet changing expectations. Many new hotels were popping up around the turn of the century. The Dom-Hotel Kölner Hof and Hotel Ernst Excelsior were just some of them.
The plot changed hands. The newly founded Hotel GmbH acquired the land. After lengthy negotiations and with approval from Dombaumeister Bernhard Hertel the Fürstenhof was constructed between 1911 and 1912. Hertel ensured the design respected the Cathedral’s dignity. He also made sure the view of the Cathedral was not obstructed. Carl Moritz designed the building. Its facade on Trankgasse is five stories high. It matches the nearby Hotel Ernst Excelsior. On Marzellenstraße the top floor is set back.
The ground floor housed shops. Above was a cafe offering stunning Cathedral views. Originally over 40 hotel rooms with eight bathrooms existed. The cafe opened on December 20 1911. Newspaper articles praised it as rivaling the finest cafes in major cities. Its pale yellow walls contrasted beautifully with the dark mahogany furniture. Elegant light fixtures added to its charm.
In 1936 the Schwabenbräu brewery in Düsseldorf took ownership. A four-month renovation followed. Architect Ernst Huhn led the redesign. They aimed to improve the interior layout and attract more visitors to the cafe. The cafe struggled to draw crowds. Maybe people preferred to avoid the stairs. The ground floor shops and stairs were removed. A tavern “Zur Pauluswache” and a restaurant were built. A new staircase was added to the first floor. The cafe became an exclusive breakfast and meeting room for hotel guests. The hotel then had 62 rooms with 85 beds. Wall paintings by Hans Kirchner and Küppers depicting Cologne’s history and legends decorated the restaurant and cafe. Heinrich Hecker a skilled blacksmith crafted the iron light fixtures.
The Fürstenhof survived World War II relatively unscathed. It was restored in 1946-47 by architect Josef Kögl. The Erste Allgemeine Unfall- und Schadens-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft in Munich owned it then. The hotel closed in 1966. The upper floors became offices. Different restaurants occupied the first floor. A Volkswagen dealership Fleischhauer transformed the ground and basement floors into a showroom. It displayed 15 cars. A heated pavement kept the sidewalk snow and ice free. The renovations took 18 months and ended in November 1967. Architect Hans Schilling oversaw the project. Fleischhauer later sold the Fürstenhof. One of Cologne’s first McDonald’s opened there in the mid-1970s.
The Fürstenhof remains a striking example of architecture. Its classicist-baroque style is typical of Moritz’s work. The building was listed as a monument on June 4 1987. So next time you see this grand building remember its rich history. From its early days to its current status the Fürstenhof continues to shape the Cologne skyline.