Jails, Homeless Shelters, & Soup Kitchens Turned Hotels

by Adrienne Wilson on

Call it coincidence, but in this month’s edition of concierge.com they’ve listed 10 hotels across the globe with a spooky past. (Coughs, can we say perfect timing for Halloween, hmm?) After going through each one, I noticed the history of some were creepier than others depending on what you tend to get spooked by. Shack up in a past crime den, nun’s cell, jail or my personal favorite an old soup kitchen. From the photos featured one might not ever know that these places have a tale to tell, but don’t let the looks deceive you. When you’re at rest in bed the howling you hear isn’t coming from the outside. It’s the cry of the mentally unhinged resident that stayed there before you. (Insert: horror laughter.) I’m only kidding – sort of.

Check out the Poor House: Hopper Hotel Et Cetera in Cologne, Germany which now sits as a cheap-chic boutique hotel, but was once a homeless shelter and soup kitchen. Heading to Puerto Rico? Stay at the old Carmelite convent, now one of San Juans’ most luxurious hotels was once home to 11 nuns that moved out in 1903. If you’re in need of prison time look at their picks out of Turkey and the U.K., just don’t say I didn’t try to warn you of their bone-chilling ambience.

Nazi Club Med

by Neil Woodburn on

Even the Nazis, after a hard day of blitzkrieging, needed a place to vacation.

With this in mind, Hitler commissioned a holiday retreat to be built for members of the Third Reich on the (former) East German island of Rügen.

Like so many of the Fuehrer’s little projects, this one was also never completed; RAF carpet-bombings have a way of doing that.

But now, after standing empty since the fall of the Berlin Wall, investors have purchased the site and plan to renovate it as a holiday destination for the 21st century.

Ulrich Busch, the main investor in the project, promises to acknowledge its history in a tasteful way during reconstruction. “We want holidaymakers to be able to learn about the past,” he told the press. Busch’s father spent time imprisoned by the SS so any pro-Nazi accusations that would normally be leveled at anyone trying to resurrect this site have been very few.

Controversy over such projects is common in Germany. Last summer we reported about the Hitler Hotel in the Bavarian Alps which recently opened. Neo-Nazis have kept their distance, however, probably because they’ve been unable to afford the expensive room rates. Let’s hope the same holds true for the project in Rügen.

Photo of the Day (10/6/06)

by Neil Woodburn on

There, I’ve done it again: I’ve nominated myself for Photo of the Day.

Two summers ago on my way to Georgia, I stopped for a short visit in Berlin and came across this new Holocaust Memorial recently constructed in the former No-Mans-Land of the Berlin Wall.

The angular blocks of various sizes are somber and mesmerizing. However, due to their strange shapes and close proximity, the memorial has become the perfect playground for kids who either chase each other amongst the many spaces between the blocks, or simply climb on top of them like howler monkeys at recess.

The tranquility and mood suggested by the above photograph (and certainly intended by the architect) is completely shattered as a result.

Hitler Artwork for Sale

by Neil Woodburn on

In 1907 and again in 1908, an aspiring Austrian artist was rejected by the Academy of Art in Vienna. Had he actually been accepted, he probably would not have ventured down the road of politics, become chancellor of Germany, start World War II, initiate the Holocaust, alter the course of history and change the face Europe.

Unfortunately, Adolph Hitler simply wasn’t a good enough artist to be accepted by the Academy and the world was forever changed.

As is often the case with notoriety, Hitler’s alternate career path had the expected effect upon his artwork: it greatly increased its value. A small cache of recently discovered, poorly painted landscapes and sketches will be put up for auction in England later this month and are expected to bring approximately $6000 each.

If you happen to be in Cornwall, England, be sure to stop by and put in a bid. “Hey, isn’t that a Hitler!” will be the perfect icebreaker for the next party you throw.

Red Corner: Dresden Turns 800

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s not so often one gets to celebrate a birthday after being fire-bombed by 3,900 tons of ordnance. And yet, the city of Dresden–80% of which was destroyed after the infamous World War II air campaign which leveled the city–turns 800 this month.

Celebrating Dresden’s 800th birthday is rather odd if you ask me; nothing standing in the city today is more than 60 years old.

As you can tell by the depiction above, Dresden was an extraordinarily beautiful city before the controversial bombings. Quite a bit of it has been rebuilt, first by the communists who threw in their share of ugly socialist architecture, and then later by the unified German state. The result is hardly as wonderful as the original, however, but it’s a nice start. I’d be curious to visit sometime in the future when all the reconstruction is finally done.

In the meantime, for those you who want to pop on over and pay Dresden a birthday visit, the New York Times has a pretty good write-up in last Sunday’s paper on what to see and where to stay while there. Just don’t tell anyone you’re American or British…