Breidenbacher Hof Dusseldorf
Originally opened in 1812, the Breidenbacher Hof Dusseldorf looks back on a long history and has hosted many prominent guests. Among them were, for example, Clara and Robert Schumann as well as Tsar Alexander II from Russia. Regents, noblemen, politicians and artists stayed at the Breidenbacher Hof.1
From 1808 to 1812, a classicist building was erected according to the plans of architect Adolph von Vagedes.2 In 1905, after several extensions, new buildings and conversions, the hotel was extended to Königsallee under the name Palast Hotel Breidenbacher Hof; today it operates under the address Königsallee 11.3
The hotel was completely destroyed by a bombing raid on Whit Saturday 1943 and rebuilt in the years between 1946-1950 by architect Emil Fahrenkamp (1885-1966, head of the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1937-1946) in the style of post-war modernism. However, this is only one stage of its very eventful architectural history.
Breidenbacher Hof reconstruction
The hotel was closed in 1999 due to planned renovations. Because of the existing building fabric, it was decided not to renovate, the hotel was completely demolished and replaced by a new building in 2005-2008 by the Düsseldorf architects Hentrich, Petschnigg & Partner. „Hentrich (1905-2001) was not only chairman of the board of the artists‘ association Malkasten from 1945-1955, he also gained worldwide recognition for the construction of the Dreischeibenhaus (1957-1960) in the style of post-war modernism.“4
The new Breidenbacher Hof building, which reopened in 2008, pays tribute to the architectural history of its predecessors; its new height is based on the building of the Kaufhof on the Kö opposite. Moreover, even in its newly built form, the hotel is an eye-catcher that blends pleasantly into the overall setting without ignoring the monumental nature of its construction.
Breidenbacher Hof, Königsallee 11, 40212 Düsseldorf