Above: This view of the "Rostocker Hof" facades has been impeded for the last two years by fences, signs, and roadblocks.

(OZ-Picture: K.M.)

Several proprietors have shaped the history of the "Rostocker Hof". Opened in 1888 as a guesthouse, the "Rostocker Hof" was acquired by Hotelier Max Hoth in 1889. Ten years later the property passed into the hands of Heinrich Wachtendorf, who led it until his financial and physical demise caused him to file for bankruptcy in 1913. By then, the "Rostocker Hof" already had more than 50 beds.

Otto Freitag took over the house and retained its ownership for the next 32 years. A waiter in the restaurant since 1901, he ascended skillfully to the role of Hotelier. "Together with his wife, our uncle Otto Freitag vigorously took on the restauration of the hotel. The "Rostocker Hof" was his life’s work," remembered Hermann Freitag of Hamburg in a 1991 letter to the "Ostsee-Zeitung".

Thanks to the extensive renovations, the house had 60 rooms with 80 beds by 1927, and enjoyed central heating and hot water. It was the premier hotel in the maritime port city of Rostock. Furthermore, the restaurant and ballroom were frequented by hotel guests, Rostockers, and business people alike.

As the Red Army moved in on May 1, 1945, the lights went out in the "Rostocker Hof." Party command, public house, headquarters for the SED district of Rostock, Stasi buildings and the university library all represented stations of the new regime. Meanwhile, the building of the "Rostocker Hof" was ailing beyond repair. Aside from the restored facades, which are protected under the state’s monument designation, the "Rostocker Hof" has been entirely reconstructed and reconceptualized as an ensemble of commercial spaces.

Left: This image is 107-years-old. High above, the carpenters who built the roof of the "Rostocker Hof" have gathered together for the building ceremony at what was then "Hopfenmarkt" in 1888. That same year, the "Rostock Hof" was opened.
(Picture: Archiv)