The Hotel Waldkater was a famous hotel in the

Bode Gorge The Bode Gorge (german: Bodetal) is a long ravine that forms part of the Bode valley between Treseburg and Thale in the Harz Mountains of central Germany. The German term, ''Bodetal'' (literally "Bode Valley"), is also used in a wider sense to r ...

in the

Harz Mountains The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...

of Germany.

History

The first establishment called ''Waldkater'' ("wildcat") was built in 1845 and subsequently altered many times. The name goes back to a story, according to which a wine adulterator had been changed into a cat as a punishment. Before it was shot by a hunter the cat was supposed to have been saved by revealing a recipe for a May Day drink (''Maitrank''). But because this drink was also adulterated and caused the hunter to have a hangover, the adulterator had to be saved again and now showed the hunter a hidden treasure. With this capital the hunter built the hotel as well as a monument to the adulterator. Less romantic is the story that a carter named Christoph Fessel originally built a small refreshment hut in the Bode Gorge that was soon replaced by the one-story ''Kleiner Waldkater''. In 1852 the ''Großer Waldkater'' Hotel was added, that together with the Rosstrappe,

Hexentanzplatz The ''Hexentanzplatz'' (literally “Witches′ Dance Floor”) in the Harz mountains is a plateau () that lies high above the Bode Gorge, opposite the Rosstrappe in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. History The Hexentanzplatz is reputedly an Old Sax ...

and Zehnpfund became one of the most famous hotels in the area. The ''Großer Waldkater'' later became a rest home and was then converted into a

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ba ...

which was renovated in 1996. The ''Kleiner Waldkater'' was used after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

initially as a residence for evacuees and, later, as a works holiday home for Naumburg furniture workers. After the Wende it was turned back into a hotel. Waldkater 1897 Relief

The Waldkater near Fontane

Theodor Fontane Theodor Fontane (; 30 December 1819 – 20 September 1898) was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist author. He published the first of his novels, for which he is best known toda ...

visited Thale and the surrounding area several times and made the Bode Gorge an important setting for his novel, Cécile. In the twelfth chapter of this novel, the protagonists plan an afternoon excursion from Thale; whereby the Waldkater is also mentioned: ''"Non not the Bode Gorge," said Gordon. "Especially that infernal Waldkater! That old country house on the roadway which reeks of cooking and stable smells. Everywhere people and butter paper, cripples and accordions. No, no, I suggest Lindenberg."'' File:Waldkater 1897.jpg, 1897 postcard File:Waldkater 1902.jpg, 1902 postcard

References

External links

Thale Youth Hostel - the former hotel

Kleiner Waldkater
{{Coord, 51.737546, N, 11.024415, E, type:landmark_region:DE-ST, display=title, format=dms Waldkater Thale 1845 establishments in Germany Hotel buildings completed in 1845