The Schloss Hotel in Rheinsberg, Germany

The small, pictoresque town of Rheinsberg, 90 km north of Berlin, is dominated by the Barock Castle of Rheinsberg. The Castle was built by the brother of Frederick the Great, Prince Henry of Prussia. He created there what was considered to be an uniqe “court of muses” in Europe with his palace and gardens in early neo-classical style.

The Schloss Hotel was built in direct vicinity of the Castle in 1827. It consisted originally of a corner building with two storeys at the cross point of two streets in the centre of the town. Later some lower buildings were added to the main buuilding around an inner courtyard.

The Hotel (originally called the Hotel Deutsches Haus) functioned mainly as Restaurant-Cafè with some hotel accomodation, but in 1993 plans were made to increase the hotel capacity. In close cooperation with the Heritage Authorities of the region  the building was totally redesigned, saving only the outer walls and the historically listed restaurant. The existng courtyard was rebuilt as an atrium, on the groundfloor used as a wintergarden and on the upper floors to lit hotel rooms on both sides. The original roof was rebuilt and provided with Dormer-windows for the new second floor.

A new kitchen was installed on the groundfloor, its storages and staffrooms in the enlarged

basement. Most of the old wooden floors had to be rebuilt as concrete slabs, to cope with fire and acoustical regulations.

As a result, the new centre of the hotel, the brightly-lit wintergarden, functions well as an informal

breakfast-café, in contrast with the classic restaurant on the other side of the kitchen. The former café at the street side  provides the hotel with often used, flexible conference rooms.

Designed and built 1993-1994

Total amount of rooms and suites 29, total built area 1670 m2