The Excelsior Hotel Ernst with a view of

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese o ...

, ''the Dom'', was built in 1863. Carl Ernst was the constructor and first owner of the hotel, which was formerly called "Hotel Ernst". The Beggar from Cologne Cathedral A large part of the plot of the film " The Beggar of Cologne Cathedral" (

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

of 1927) plays in Cologne Hotel Excelsior, which is recognizable by the film recordings as a Hotel Excelsior Ernst.

History

Eight years later, in 1871, Carl Ernst sold the hotel to Friedrich Kracht. Four years after buying the hotel, Kracht died and his wife and son, Carl Kracht, had to manage the Innenstadt hotel. Meanwhile, the hotel had become part of Cologne's better society, and in 1884, Carl Kracht was appointed Prince of the

Cologne Carnival The Cologne Carnival (german: Kölner Karneval) is a carnival that takes place every year in Cologne, Germany. Traditionally, the "fifth season" (carnival season) is declared open at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th of the 11th month November. Th ...

- a big honor in Cologne. From early times, the hotel had famous guests, such as German Emperor

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

and American artist

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

.Excelsior Hotel Ernst on koelntourismus.de
/ref> In 1889, Carl Kracht married Emma Pauline Baur of the Swiss Hoteliers family Baur, who owned both the famous Hotel Baur au Lac and the Savoy Baur en Ville. Carl Kracht and his family lived in Zurich and he managed the Hotel Baur au Lac. After his wedding, he appointed a general manager to take care of the Hotel Ernst's operations. From 1908 to 1910 the Hotel Ernst was rebuilt and re-opened as ''Grand-Hotel Excelsior Hotel Ernst'' with at the time unparalleled comfort: 100 rooms out of 250 had a private bathroom. In 1918, after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the British Army moved into the hotel and used it as their headquarters during the occupation of the Rhineland. On 31 December 1926 Excelsior Hotel Ernst celebrated its second re-opening after the British army left. During World War II, a part of the hotel was damaged and the owner family was very concerned to rebuild it as soon as the war was over. So, another re-opening took place after the end of World War II. In 1986 a new wing was constructed, the "Neubau", with 29 rooms and suites. All renovations were done under the supervision of the interior designer Count Siegwart Pilati. In addition to French cuisine restaurant Hanse Stube, a second restaurant was opened in 2001: the taku, offers

Asian cuisine Asian cuisine includes several major regional cuisines: Central Asian, East Asian, North Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and West Asian. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated with ...

in a contemporary atmosphere. In 2007, 45 rooms were turned into 35 more spacious rooms in the "Hanse Flügel". Excelsior Hotel Ernst is member of

The Leading Hotels of the World The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. (LHW) is a marketing organization, representing more than 400 hotels in over 80 countries. Established in 1928 by European hoteliers, LHW is headquartered in New York City. History The company was establ ...

and family Kracht-Roulet is still owner of the hotel. Since November 2012 Henning Matthiesen is the general manager of the hotel.

References

External links

website

The Leading Hotels Of The World

Selektion Deutscher Luxushotels
{{Authority control Landmarks in Cologne Buildings and structures in Cologne Hotels in Germany Hotels established in 1863 Innenstadt, Cologne Hotel buildings completed in 1863 1863 establishments in Prussia The Leading Hotels of the World

History

See also

References

External links