Heidelberg/Schloss-Hotel: Difference between revisions
From Mark Twain in the German Language Press
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[[File:Heidelberg_schlosshotel_adv_frankfurter_1875.png|frameless|left|{{File:Heidelberg_schlosshotel_adv_frankfurter_1875.png}}]] When the Schloss-Hotel opened its doors in 1875, its owner, Heinrich Albert, ran numerous ads to advertise his new establishment (e.g. in the ''Frankfurter Zeitung'' on 7 July 1875). He received support from what appears to be a [[:File:Heidelberg_schlosshotel_rev_wuerzburger_1875.jpg|friendly newspaper review]] in the ''Würzburger Zeitung'' (4 Aug. 1875) which included a detailed description of the amenities and extensive praise of the hotels picturesque setting. The hotel was located near the famous Heidelberg Castle and offered visitors a spectacular view of the city and the Neckar valley. | |||
[[ | Heinrich Albert is credited as “of the best innkeepers and an expert on tourist life in the grand style,” a characterization that corresponded to [[Olivia Langdon Clemens]]’s first impression of him, as he treated her and the children as an attentive and hospitable host. After moving there from what she perceived to be the much worse Hotel Schrieder, the new accomodation at the Schloss-Hotel pleased Olivia greatly. In her early letters she called the location “a perfect Paradise” ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/Z44NN233 Snedecor 102]) and “the most lovely place that anyone ever saw” ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/Z44NN233 104]). | ||
Hotel Schrieder | |||
[[File: | [[File:Heidelberg_schlosshotel_birdcage.jpg|frameless|right|{{File:Heidelberg_schlosshotel_birdcage.jpg}}]] | ||
Clemens also felt that they were “divinely located” ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/CPVPYE4Q/ MTHL I, 229]). He was fascinated by the enclosed balconies attached to their bedroom which he described in a letter to Howells as “two great bird-cages” which gave them a spectacular view of Heidelberg and the Rhine valley. He also found the quiet seclusion he sought during his European stay. “Lord, how blessed is the repose, the tranquility of this place,” he wrote to Howells ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/CPVPYE4Q/ MTHL I, 230]). It may have been a result of the fact that, as Olivia wrote to her mother, “no one in the hotel knows who Mr. Clemens is” ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/Z44NN233 Snedecor 103]). | |||
He was fascinated by the enclosed balconies attached to their bedroom which he described in a letter to Howells as “two great bird-cages” which gave them a spectacular view of Heidelberg and the Rhine valley. He also found the quiet seclusion he sought during his European stay. “Lord, how blessed is the repose, the tranquility of this place,” he wrote to Howells ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/CPVPYE4Q/ MTHL I, 230]). It may have been a result of the fact that, as Olivia wrote to her mother, “no one in the hotel knows who Mr. Clemens is” ([https://www.zotero.org/groups/4437667/mtxdigital/items/Z44NN233 Snedecor 103]). | |||
Latest revision as of 08:36, 29 August 2025
When the Schloss-Hotel opened its doors in 1875, its owner, Heinrich Albert, ran numerous ads to advertise his new establishment (e.g. in the Frankfurter Zeitung on 7 July 1875). He received support from what appears to be a friendly newspaper review in the Würzburger Zeitung (4 Aug. 1875) which included a detailed description of the amenities and extensive praise of the hotels picturesque setting. The hotel was located near the famous Heidelberg Castle and offered visitors a spectacular view of the city and the Neckar valley.
Heinrich Albert is credited as “of the best innkeepers and an expert on tourist life in the grand style,” a characterization that corresponded to Olivia Langdon Clemens’s first impression of him, as he treated her and the children as an attentive and hospitable host. After moving there from what she perceived to be the much worse Hotel Schrieder, the new accomodation at the Schloss-Hotel pleased Olivia greatly. In her early letters she called the location “a perfect Paradise” (Snedecor 102) and “the most lovely place that anyone ever saw” (104).
Source: A Tramp Abroad, Twain, 1880 (page 28). Public domain, https://archive.org/details/trampabroad00twai/page/28/.“This hotel had a feature which was a decided novelty, and one which might be adopted with advantage by any house which is perched in a commanding situation. This feature may be described as a series of glass-enclosed parlors clinging to the outside of the house, one against each and every bed-chamber and drawing-room. They are like long, narrow, high-ceiled bird-cages hung against the building. My room was a corner room, and had two of these things, a north one and a west one.” (A Tramp Abroad 28)
Clemens also felt that they were “divinely located” (MTHL I, 229). He was fascinated by the enclosed balconies attached to their bedroom which he described in a letter to Howells as “two great bird-cages” which gave them a spectacular view of Heidelberg and the Rhine valley. He also found the quiet seclusion he sought during his European stay. “Lord, how blessed is the repose, the tranquility of this place,” he wrote to Howells (MTHL I, 230). It may have been a result of the fact that, as Olivia wrote to her mother, “no one in the hotel knows who Mr. Clemens is” (Snedecor 103).