Hotel Esplanade (Berlin)

The Grand Hotel Esplanade was before at Potsdamer Platz and during the " Roaring Twenties " to the most famous hotels of Berlin. It was largely destroyed in the Second World War in an air raid. A small portion is now integrated in the Sony Center.

In 1988, a new Grand Hotel Esplanade was opened in West Berlin Lützowufer.

History

The hotel was built in 1907/1908 on behalf of a property development company, whose shareholders included members of the royal houses Hohenlohe, Furstenberg and Henckel von Donnersmarck, designed by architect Otto Rehnig at the Bellevue Road. The construction cost at that time around 23 million marks. The building belonged to the style according to the Belle Epoque, the design of the rooms contained elements of Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo of. The hotel had several magnificent halls, including the Imperial Hall. Kaiser Wilhelm II held its exclusive gentlemen's evenings here. A special attraction was the 1600 m² garden in the courtyard of the hotel.

In the 1920s, here lodged stars like Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo. Billy Wilder worked here before beginning his career as a " gigolo ", Marek Weber played with his orchestra and dancing. From 1925 to 1937, the orchestra of Barnabas Gezcy was the house orchestra. The hotel was popular in the time of the Weimar Republic especially for supporters of the monarchy; the operators refused with regard to their guests, to hoist the black-red- gold flag of the Republic. In the era of National Socialism after 1933 it was shunned by the NSDAP sizes; Albert Speer announced in 1941 even to the demolition. Before the assassination attempt of July 20, 1944, the conspirators met several times at the Esplanade, and they were waiting here also the outcome of the attack from.

In winter 1944/1945 the hotel was largely destroyed in a bombing raid. However, a small part remained almost intact are: the Imperial Hall, the breakfast room, the staircase and the washrooms. This part was then used in the 1950s amidst the wreckage as a restaurant and dance events, later also for fashion shows. Was still, even after the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 on a moderate hotel and event operation next to the wall, so as a film set. However, for security reasons, the House was forced to close in 1981. 1972 scenes in the movie theater were filmed with Liza Minnelli here 1981 recordings for the oppressive years of Margarethe von Trotta, 1986 Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the remains of the hotel was declared a National Monument. This fact was not initially considered in the initial plans for the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz on the basis of false information; the planners wanted to demolish the building. It stood as it were in the way. 1993, agreement was reached with the city of Berlin to a spectacular solution: The Emperor's Hall should be shifted by 75 meters and integrated into the center. This was made ​​possible thanks to the latest technology with computer control and an air-cushion construction. The translocation succeeded in March 1996, the cost alone for this shift amounted to around 75 million marks ( adjusted for inflation in today's money: about 49.7 million EUR ). The also received breakfast room of the hotel was divided into 500 individual parts and later reassembled. It is now used as an event venue and is part of the restaurant Josty, whose name is reminiscent of the old Café Josty.

History of the Grand Hotel Esplanade since 1988

In 1986 there were public excitement about the new building on the Dörnberg Triangle. Before the foundation stone was laid, had to be cut down a grove of trees. Then there was litigation. Because of the feared " deterioration in the quality of living " reached a tenant from one of the neighboring " town houses " of the building exhibition IBA a temporary construction freeze. The Higher Administrative Court found a proprietary neighboring lawsuit would not be the tenant. " Massiveness and monotony " of the project could have a negative impact on the immediate neighbors but. Architect Jürgen Sawade spoke of a large urban facade, "honest and modern."

On 1 May 1988, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Grand Hotel Esplanade then opened its doors. On 1 May 2006, ie 18 years after the opening, the U.S. private equity firm The Blackstone Group bought the previously conducted privately owned hotel. Nearly 20 million euros invested the new owners in the relaunch of the Grand Hotel Esplanade, with elegantly appointed comfortable rooms and 40 individually decorated suites. The hotel lobby was designed by the American architect Alexandra Champalimaud.

Tea dance in the garden, 1926

Building residual (left) in 1951; the right of the Soviet sector ( Lenne Triangle ) - in the foreground the Bellevue Road

Fragment of the emperor hall

Fragment of the breakfast hall

Facade fragment