Seven decades of luxury hospitality in the Taunus: Schlosshotel Kronberg is celebrating its 70th birthday this year. Originally built for Victoria Kaiserin Friedrich, the renowned five-star hotel looks back on an eventful history and has been welcoming illustrious guests from all over the world since the middle of the last century. Numerous smaller events are planned for the anniversary celebrations.
History you can touch: From the empress's widow's residence to a palace hotel
The history of the historicist-style property begins at the end of the 19th century, long before it was used as a hotel. After the death of Frederick III in 1888, his widow Empress Victoria Frederick had the palace built as her widow's residence - originally under the name Schloss Friedrichshof. Built in the style of a magnificent English country house, the retreat was not only in a quiet location, but also very prestigious and met the highest aesthetic standards and contemporary architectural preferences. Even then, the house was equipped with the latest technical comforts such as central heating, a freight elevator and electric light.
After Victoria's death, the palace passed into the ownership of her daughter Margarethe in 1901. After a few comparatively quiet years, French occupiers moved into the estate during the First World War. Between the wars, inflation made it too expensive to maintain the castle and it fell into a long slumber. This only ended in 1945, when the Americans, another occupying force, moved into Kronberg after the end of the Second World War. The new landlords used the building as an officers' club for eight years under the name Country Club Kronberg Castle.
It was not until 1953 that the castle finally returned to the House of Hesse - Margarethe's heirs decided to use the property as a hotel in future without changing the original character of the house. One year later, Schlosshotel Kronberg opened its doors to travelers for the first time. Since then, numerous high-ranking personalities from politics and society have been guests at the hotel, including former German President Walter Scheel, later US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Hollywood actress Kristen Stewart. They all found not only an oasis of calm in the historic premises, but also plenty of space for creative development. Thanks to the unique combination of history and timeless luxury, the fascination of the hotel has remained unbroken for 70 years.
Specials to mark the milestone birthday
Guests will encounter the 70th anniversary time and again, both in the hotel itself and on the Schlosshotel Kronberg's digital channels. In the hotel's own bar and lounge Frederick's, two exclusive anniversary cocktails are being served this year instead of the popular Drink of the Month. Both are named after Empress Victoria Frederick's middle name: "Adelaide's Summer" with Malfy Pink Grapefruit Gin, Italicus Bergamot, lime juice, sugar and creole bitters is available until the end of September and provides summer feelings even on dull days. Adelaide's Winter, on the other hand, will be on the menu from October 1 and combines gin, carrot juice, sugar syrup, pumpkin spiced syrup and cinnamon to create a unique, wintery taste experience. In addition, there are various activities on social media - former employees report on their best experiences at the Schlosshotel on the official Instagram channel, the current teams congratulate with creative posts and a GIF sticker with the specially created 70-year logo is available to all Instagram users. Small goodies such as 70-year Schlosshotel stickers and individual competitions round off the anniversary celebrations.
