The Hotel Goldene Krone in Goslar looks back on almost 300 years of history. The present half-timbered building was constructed in 1733. Since 1749, the building has been used as a hotel, with only two interruptions.
For many years, the hotel was known as the “Hotel Hannover.” Around the turn of the 20th century, the name “Goldene Krone” became established.
The building was an important stopping place for travelers. At one point, the Goldene Krone also housed a post station and coaching inn. It had several heated rooms intended particularly for more distinguished travelers. The innkeeper was also permitted to keep riding horses, which were made available especially to travelers visiting the Harz Mountains.
The Hotel During the World Wars
The two World Wars brought major changes to the building.
During both the First World War and the Second World War, the Hotel Goldene Krone was used as a military hospital. During these periods, the building was no longer a place for travelers and hotel guests. Instead, wounded and sick soldiers were treated there.
These two periods represent some of the darkest chapters in the hotel's long history.
The Goldene Krone After the Second World War
One of the most remarkable chapters in the history of the Goldene Krone began after 1945.
Following the end of the Second World War, numerous Jewish survivors, particularly from Eastern Europe, came to Goslar. They were among the people known as Displaced Persons (DPs) – people who had been forced from their homes by war and Nazi persecution and who remained in Germany after liberation while looking for a new future.
By September 1945, the Jewish community in Goslar had grown to around 157 people. The city provided the Jewish community with the Goldene Krone, which was used as collective accommodation and a community center.
In January 1946, the Jewish Committee of Goslar was officially established. The Goldene Krone became an important center of Jewish life in the city. It housed the so-called “Jewish Camp” and served as a cultural meeting place.
Life at the Goldene Krone was about much more than accommodation. The Jewish community organized vocational training for survivors, including courses for tailors, automobile mechanics, dental technicians, and electricians. Language classes in English and Hebrew were also offered.
A Jewish sports club was established as well, with table-tennis and football teams. The community was rebuilding not only its everyday life, but also its social and cultural life.
The Goldene Krone also became a place of celebration and remembrance. In the spring of 1946, Jewish residents of Goslar celebrated the first anniversary of their liberation from Nazi rule at the hotel. Passover was also celebrated by the community.
Only a few years after the Nazi persecution and murder of millions of Jews, the Goldene Krone had therefore become a place where Jewish life was once again able to develop and flourish in Goslar.
The Jewish post-war community numbered between approximately 150 and 250 people at different times. By the beginning of the 1950s, the community had largely dissolved, as many of its members emigrated or moved elsewhere. Only a small number of Jewish residents remained permanently in Goslar.
A Building With Many Lives
The history of the Goldene Krone is remarkable because, over almost three centuries, the building has served completely different generations and purposes.
It began as a historic half-timbered building and became a guesthouse and hotel. Travelers and visitors to the Harz Mountains stayed here, horses were kept for guests, and the building was at times connected to the postal and coaching network.
During two World Wars, the hotel was transformed into a military hospital.
After 1945, the building took on another extraordinary role. The Goldene Krone became a place of refuge for Jewish survivors and an important center of Jewish life in post-war Goslar.
Today, the building is once again a hotel. The historic half-timbered structure has survived and continues to welcome guests.
So when guests stay at the Hotel Goldene Krone today, they are not simply staying in an old half-timbered building.
They are staying in a place that has witnessed almost 300 years of history – from travelers and post coaches to two World Wars and, ultimately, the rebuilding of Jewish life in Goslar after 1945.
