Hotel Adlon Kempinski - Rebuilding A Berlin Legend

Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin is a legendary city landmark that is more than just a hotel. For the country and its people, this hotel is a Berlin institution that has survived the first and second World War. It was sadly burnt down only a couple of days after the end of the war, leaving a ruin. However, the name and memory of this legendary hotel continues to live.

The story of this hotel started when a successful wine merchant and restaurateur named Lorenz Adlon had the vision to create the most opulent hotel in the world with a standard previously unseen in the hotel industry. He convinced Kaiser Wilhelm II and managed to get Palais Redern on Unter den Linden at the corner of Pariser Platz and facing the famous Brandenburg Gate as the location of his future hotel.

Adlon demolished this palace and built the first Hotel Adlon for 20 billion gold marks and two years of building process, and was designed by Carl Gause and Robert Leibnitz. When the hotel finally opened on 23 October 1907 and was officialised by Kaiser Wilhelm II, guests were amazed by the sophistication and comfort that feature facilities such as hot and cold running water, gas and electricity and a refrigeration and cooling system linked into a fountain. There was even a power plant which provided electricity to the 110-volt light bulbs produced specially for the hotel. Adlon’s vision to create the most beautiful hotel in the world was achieved through a combination of its architecture, interior design and advanced technology. It gained popularity around the world and has attracted various guests from royal families, world politicians to famous industrialists.

Thanks to Hedda Adlon, the daughter-in-law of the legendary founder of the hotel, the rights to buy the Adlon firms and property was in her will. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the Kempinski hotel group remembered Hedda Adlon’s last wish and immediately looked for investors to rebuild this great legend. Together with Anno August Jagdfeld, managing shareholder of Fundus-fonds-verwaltungen Gmbh, they managed to revive Hotel Adlon’s former glory. Duo Berliner architect twin brothers Rudiger and Jurgen Patschke were appointed to be the designer of this hotel and they chose to go with a traditional architecture approach.

Their vision was to recreate the building in the traditional architectural style that was popular in the late 20th century. They adopted the proportions and formations such as the characteristic arches on the ground floor. The main entrance has been placed in almost the same place and it also has a green copper roof. They used Rackwitz sandstone on the facade that is also used for many historical and prominent Berlin buildings. They also kept the urban planning guideline where the new building height is not higher than the old ones. As a result, the new Hotel Adlon Kempinski was finally opened on 23 August 1997 and was officialised by the former federal president Roman Herzog.

The new hotel with all 307 luxurious guest rooms, 78 exquisite suites, three restaurants, and a magnificent wellness area occupies the site of

the original building, along with the adjacent land. Due to its success, the hotel was expanded twice with new wings at the rear on Behrenstrasse and designed by architect Gunter Behnisch. The first wing known as the Adlon Palais opened in 2003, while the second wing, known as the Adlon Residenz, opened in 2004.

The grand design of this luxurious hotel that can be seen from the façade is also translated into its interior design. The lobby area that is a popular place for the Berliner society, as well as a meeting place for globetrotters, is adorned with a stunning remake of the famous elephant fountain that was once given by the Maharaja of Patiala around 1930 to the original hotel as the piece-de-resistance.

Last August 2016, this beautiful lobby underwent a six million Euro renovation process by renowned Berlin interior designer and owner of Jagdfeld Design, Anne Maria Jagdfeld. For this renovation, she gave the lobby a new shining star in the form of a 750kg chandelier that is fitted with 390 glass prisms made out of the finest Murano glass by the traditional Venetian manufacturer, Venini. Above the elephant fountain lies the classical glass dome with over 180 individual glass stars emanating warm atmosphere.

The sense of the hotel’s grandeur is also well translated in the 307 rooms and suites through its modern classic approach. Highquality materials such as limestone floors, mahogany furnishings, silk bedspreads and black granite were used to heighten the sense of luxury.

A notable design element in this hotel includes the newly refurbished Adlon Ballroom that showcases the modern opulence inspired by the historic ballrooms. Done by Anne Marie Jagdfeld in 2018, this ballroom was decorated with chandeliers and wall lights by Venini (the glass masters of Murano), soft carpeting in the style of Versailles parquet flooring by House of Tai Ping from Hong Kong and giant mirrors made of Verre Eglomise and were manufactured by the company Verre D’OR.

Hotel Adlon Kempinski is also renowned for its dining outlets such as the two-michelin-star gastronomic restaurant Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer that features luxurious European elegance combining a classic library set up with a beautiful mural painted on the ceiling. Another notable dining venue with a striking design is the Pan Asian Cuisine restaurant known as Sra Bua by head chef Kai Weigand that serves an eclectic mix of flavours from South East Asia. The ambience shows a subtle luxury of the Oriental world featuring a series of photographs by LUMAS gallery as well as a gold-gilded hand-carved wooden sculpture from China and sliding doors covered with silk in the style of an old Japanese tea house can be seen in this trendy looking restaurant.

The way we see it, the legend and history of Hotel Adlon Kempinski will continue for as long as the future can see.