The Reinhardts Hotel

The Building

A hotel steeped in history

Since 2021, this listed building – completed in 1907 and once the tallest in Buchen – has once again been restored to its former glory.

The building, popularly known as the ‘Hochhaus’, has a chequered history! It was designed by architect Peter Zimmermann, built between 1905 and 1907, and was occupied by various tenants until the 1990s. After that, it was essentially left to decay, and it was only when we purchased it in 2018 that there was any prospect of it being put to further use. Between 2019 and 2021, we completely renovated the building and fitted it out to a high standard.

During the renovation, we placed great emphasis on preserving the original stylistic elements in order to bring the building’s authentic charm back to life. The interior of REINHARDTs is a journey in itself – a blend of Art Nouveau and modern design awaits you!

From the City Archives

The house that is now home to our REINHARDTs appears time and again in historical documents – here are a few particularly interesting extracts from the City Archives:

On the history of the builder, Peter Zimmermann

Franz Peter Zimmermann was born on 19 October 1863 in Wagenschwend, the son of farmer Franz Peter Zimmermann and his wife Margareta (née Miltner). Schneider1 writes that Peter Zimmermann had no future on his parents’ farm and came to Alsace as a shepherd whilst still a teenager. Before moving to Buchen, he lived for a short time in Schollbrunn, where he met his future wife, Anna Diemer. The couple then moved to Buchen, where they married on 12 May 1891. He and his wife Anna had seven children, of whom only four reached adulthood.

In Buchen, Peter Zimmermann held several jobs. At his wedding, he stated his occupation as baker. On 18 July 1900, he registered the ‘Zum Engel’ inn as a business. From 1900 onwards, he also began working in construction, a career that lasted for about a decade. His wife Anna died as early as 1907 – at the age of just 41. Peter Zimmermann remarried very soon afterwards. His second marriage on 21 November 1908 was undoubtedly intended primarily to provide for the upbringing of his children, who were still minors.

At that time, Peter Zimmermann was deeply involved in his various building projects. His second wife was Eugenie Zimmermann, née Seufert/Seifert from Höpfingen and a widow of Grasberger. Her first husband, the Buchen bricklayer Adam Grasberger, had already died in 1898. He was probably not very fortunate in this choice, as Eugenie Zimmermann must have treated the children from his first marriage very badly.

Alongside the construction of the station hotel, Peter Zimmermann also established a substantial farming business. He initially leased the management of the hotel to Karl and Gustav Mutz, only taking over himself on 17 July 1912. He died on 20 March 1936 at the age of 72.5 at Buchen Hospital. His son Fritz had apparently already taken over the management of the hotel beforehand. In the death record, his occupation is listed simply as ‘farmer’.

History of construction activity

Peter Zimmermann began his construction work at a time when there was a flurry of building activity in Buchen and numerous major projects were being realised. The construction of the Fertig factory and the vocational school serve merely as examples. As Schneider1 writes, Peter Zimmermann had already begun planning the hotel building at the station around 1900. For this, he was issued a building permit on 14 February 1900 for the construction of a new residential building (the future Bahnhofhotel).

Even before the completion of what would later become the station hotel, Peter Zimmermann was planning his next building. On 16 March 1906, he received the building permit for the building on Vorstadtstraße (plot no. 257, now Vorstadtstraße 28, or our new hotel building). The site manager was Theodor Manger from Buchen, who later also ran the Grüner Baum on Kellereistraße on the side. The building was completed by 9 November 1907 at the latest, as the final fire insurance valuation was carried out on that date. The valuation register describes the building as follows:

Residential building with beam cellar; 3 storeys, stone knee wall; roof covering: tiles; Interior fittings: attic room, stove, boiler, open staircase, pit, gable structure, front balcony, rear balcony, water pipe, gas pipe, roller blinds

It cannot be determined exactly how long Peter Zimmermann owned the building. However, by 1920 at the latest, it was owned by Hermann Blatz, a miller in Götzingen.

Shortly after the completion of the first building, Peter Zimmermann constructed the twin building (plot no. 258, now Vorstadtstraße 26). He received planning permission for this on 13 June 1908. The site manager on this occasion was Ferdinand Dörr. The building was completed by 18 November 1909 at the latest. The design was essentially the same. In 1913, Peter Zimmermann still owned the building, as he built a pigsty on the site. The subsequent owner was Maria Träger, a seamstress.

By City Archivist Tobias-Jan Kohler

1 Dr Christoph Schneider in Wartturm, Issue 02/2012