Old Oberursel Postcards: Parkhotel Waldlust

From time to time, I get interesting inquiries from my readers. Sometimes it is about a pub frequented as a U.S. soldier in the 1960s (inquiry from Nevada/USA), or whether a certain house in Oberursel is still standing (inquiry from Canada). The last one was from a reader in Montana /USA, whose ancestors once owned the former Hotel Waldlust, now named Hotel Am Taunus.

Since the hotel is right in our neighborhood, I also took photos of it to send along with my reply. Not only that, but it also really got me interested in its history.

This postcard, dated 1957, I found online at akpool.

Hotel Waldlust i. Ts. 1957

Hotel Waldlust i. Ts. 1957

Mr. Stefan Hofmann, a relative of the current owner, Mr. Arno Hofmann, was kind enough to supply me with a newspaper article from 2003.

Translated from the Oberurseler Woche, category: Oberursel – Einst und jetzt (Then and Now), issued 25 September 2003.

Einst und Jetzt, dated 2003

Einst und Jetzt, dated 2003

The change from ‘Restaurant/Guesthouse Waldlust’ to ‘Parkhotel Waldlust’
 
Our historical postcard above was stamped in 1900. It shows three different views – the Spinning Mill Hohemark  with a view onto the Taunus Mountains. On the right, you see the dining room, and below is the main building.
 
In 1897, Friedrich Wilhelm Fischer (nee 1848) and his wife Susanne Friederike, nee Feuernagel, residents of Frankfurt, purchased several fields in the ‘District under the Hans-Rother-Steg’. In 1898 and 1899, they had the following buildings erected: a four-storey residential  and business building, as well as dining facilities towards the street Hohemark. On the back end of the building, they added toilets, pig sties, a cow and horse barn, and a private apartment (accessible through stairs), and a bowling alley. They also assigned part of the space for a beer garden.
 
The buildings had been originally put up at the Frankfurt main train station first, but then were moved to Oberursel.
 
A guest house/liquor license was issued to the son, Wilhelm Friedrich, born 1874, who opened up the guest house, but it was actually run by his manager, Hans Kohielka.  Kohielka tried to get his a license of his own, which the authorities turned down. 
 
Even though the additional buildings plans got delayed, the Grand Opening finally took place on 1 January 1900.
As of 1902, licenses to run the guest house were given to:
 
Wilhelm Zimmerschied on 25 Feb 1902 
Friedrich Wilhelm Fischer (house owner) on 21 Nov 1903 
Oskar Fischer (second son of Friedrich W. Fischer, born 1881) on 13 Feb 1907
Georg Selbert on 12 May 1910
August Hepp on 4 May 1911
 
Based on an advertisement by Wilhelm Zimmerschied in 1902, the “Hotel and Guesthouse Waldlust is near the forest. Oberursel mountain train station name: Hohe Mark. Telephone line Nr. 28. More than 30 rooms for guests who appreciate clean air. Lunch served from 12 – 2pm. Restaurant open any time of  day. Covered bowling ally. Big hall/saloon. Cool shaded beer garden with adjoining forest.”
 
In 1909, Moritz Heinrich Lohrey and Johanna Lohrey ran the place without having obtained a prior concession. They applied, but it was denied. This led to a temporary closing of the guest house.
 
in 1911, August Hepp became owner of the property, and managed to run the hotel and guest house through some rather difficult years (two World Wars, inflation, mass unemployment) until 1941.
 
Around 1928, his son Hermann Hepp also ran a car rental from the property and 1939 the hotel and guest house also became a postal station.
 
In January 1943, the following rooms were confiscated and occupied to establish a temporary camp for pilot POWs: hotel kitchen with a big stove for commercial use, car garage for storing vegetables etc. as well as the cellar for storing fuel/wood. 
 
When August Hepp passed away in 1945, the concession was transferred over to his son Karl.
 
In 1952, Arno Hofmann (August Hepp’s grandson) bought the property. Due to the war, the buildings were in bad condition and after restoring them, he reopened the “Hotel Waldlust” in 1955. 
In the consecutive years, the hotel and its buildings were constantly restored and enlarged, and after setting up a hotel park, through which the Urselbach (Ursula creek) flows, it was named ‘Parkhotel Waldlust’. 
 
Today, the hotel with its 133 rooms, seven seminar rooms, restaurant/bar, boarding house with convenient apartments for long-term stays, as well as 100 parkings spots,  is run by Arno Hofmann and his wife, Michaele.
 
Until 1906, the property had the address of “outside the town”, then it became Hohemarkstrasse 68, and as of 1962, it has been Hohemarkstrasse 168.
— end of article
 
This is the hotel today – September 2015: Hotel Am Taunus
Hotel Am Taunus, Oberursel

Hotel Am Taunus, Oberursel

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