1861 Building application by the Heeren family.
At this time, a gasworks was completed in the neighbouring Lienbahnstraße. On 10 October 1861, the first gas lanterns were lit in Emden.
1870 Completion of the hotel with integrated stables for the horse trade. Remnants of this can still be seen in the rings on the outer walls of the hotel to which the horses were tethered. The location at the main railway station and the proximity to the Borkum ferries, which still departed from the old inland harbour at the time, offered good development opportunities for the hotel and restaurant business.
During the German Empire (1871-1918), the seaport of Emden experienced an economic boom to become the third largest German North Sea port after Hamburg and Bremen. In 1888, the Ems-Jade Canal and the Kesselschleuse lock were completed, which significantly improved the drainage conditions in Emden.
The Great Sea Lock was inaugurated in 1913. With an internal length of 260 metres, it was considered the largest sea lock in the world at the time.
During the Nazi era, the hotel was used by the National Socialists. During the war, the cellar ceilings and walls were reinforced so that the cellar was suitable as an air raid shelter. Up to 5400 people could find shelter in cellars in Emden that had been refurbished in this way. In 1940, the "air raid alarm" siren was sounded and it became compulsory to go to the air raid shelters. In October 1940, work began on the construction of 35 large air raid shelters, some of which are still preserved today as contemporary witnesses.
In the former Bahnhofsstraße, today's Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, some houses survived the war unscathed, which is remarkable considering the approx. 85% destruction of Emden and the proximity of the hotel to the city's main railway station at the time.
After the First World War, the building became the first hotel on the square. Guests such as Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm II, later the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Albrecht, Loriot, Gerhard Schröder, Otto Waalkes and many other celebrities stayed here.
Then things became quieter around the hotel, as large, modern buildings were the trend.
After a complete refurbishment, the listed building now offers our guests a touch of tradition in a modern ambience and a cosy atmosphere.
The team at Heerens Hotel wishes you a relaxing stay.
