Alte Post

Hotel Alte Post is a design hotel and restaurant housed in a landmarked 19th-century former post office building in Flensburg's old town, on the Flensburg Fjord. The neoclassical building was erected in 1880/1881 as the Imperial Post Office, designed by building officer Ernst M. Hake and architect Hildebrandt. It served as a post office for over a century, including a notable role at the end of World War II when the Reichssender Flensburg broadcast from a naval outside broadcast van parked in its courtyard. After the war, the Deutsche Bundespost used it as a central post office until 1988. In the 1990s it was converted into a passage with shops and restaurants, which went bankrupt. In 2014/2015, the building was transformed into a hotel with an investment of 5.7 million euros, supported by the state of Schleswig-Holstein with around 800,000 euros. The hotel opened in early 2015 under the motto 'Nordic Life & Style', with interiors by Copenhagen architect and designer Helle Flou. It offers 75 rooms (15–36 m²), including four themed rooms sponsored by local businesses, five conference rooms for 10 to 100 attendees, and the Restaurant & Bar 'Alte Post' (now Zeitlos Restaurant & Bar) with 150 seats. The hotel is part of the Figaro Hotelgruppe, founded in 2007 by a Danish investor, which also includes the Strandhotel Glücksburg. The property is a registered cultural monument of Flensburg's city center.

The building that now houses Hotel Alte Post was erected in 1880/1881 at Rathausstraße 2 in Flensburg, on the site of the former Hotel du Nord. It was designed by the building department under August Kind in the Imperial Post Office, with local supervision by architect Hildebrandt and overall direction by postal building officer Ernst Hake. The neoclassical building initially served as the Imperial Post Office (Kaiserliche Post). A statue of Hermes with a mail bag, post horn, and parcels still stands at the corner of the building at first-floor level. In 1900, the building was slightly expanded. At the end of World War II, in early May 1945, a naval outside broadcast van was parked in the courtyard of the post office. The Reichssender Flensburg transmitted propaganda broadcasts from there to a transmitter on the Eastern Heights in Jürgensby. A refreshment room for female postal workers was converted into a temporary studio for addresses by Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz (on 6 and 8 May) and his cabinet colleagues Albert Speer (3 May) and Johann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (7 May). On 8 May, Dönitz announced the unconditional surrender of all fighting troops. On 9 May 1945 at 20:03, the last Wehrmacht report was read over the Flensburg station. British specialists took over direction from 5 May, and on 13 May 1945 a news officer of the 159th British Infantry Brigade ended the ten-day broadcast operation. On 23 May 1945, the British arrested the Reich government in Mürwik. After the war, the Deutsche Bundespost took over the building and used it as a post office. The name 'Alte Post' was retained because the 'Neue Post' (new post office) had been built near the main railway station in 1981. The post office use ended in 1988. From 1992 to 1994, the Alte Post was converted into a small passage with shops, restaurants, and offices. A heavily damaged part of the building was demolished and replaced by a new building that only roughly imitated the original style. In 1994, the party music pub Pupasch moved into the passage, staying until 1999. In the early 2000s, the Roxy discotheque briefly found a new location in the Alte Post, and on 27 February 2013, the Wok In Asian restaurant opened there with 190 seats. The Alte Post GmbH & Co KG had already gone bankrupt in 1997, and the last tenant until the 2014 renovation was a branch of Sparda-Bank Hamburg. In 2014/2015, the building was converted into a hotel with a total investment of 5.7 million euros, of which the state of Schleswig-Holstein funded around 800,000 euros. The Hotel 'Alte Post' opened in early 2015. It has 75 rooms (15–36 m²) for 111 overnight guests, including four themed rooms sponsored by Flensburger Brauerei, Orion, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, and Nord-Schrott. The interior was designed by Copenhagen architect and designer Helle Flou under the motto 'Nordic Life & Style'. The hotel belongs to the Figaro Hotelgruppe, founded in 2007 by a Danish investor, which also includes the Strandhotel Glücksburg. The open gastronomy area includes the steak and burger restaurant 'Alte Post' with 150 seats.

• 2015

  Hotel 'Alte Post' opens in early 2015.

• 2014

  Conversion into a hotel begins with 5.7 million euros investment.

• 2013

  Wok In Asian restaurant opens on 27 February.

• 1997

  Alte Post GmbH & Co KG goes bankrupt.

• 1994

  Conversion completed; Pupasch music pub moves in.

• 1992

  Conversion into a passage with shops, restaurants, and offices begins.

• 1988

  Post office use ends.

• 1981

  The 'Neue Post' is built near the main railway station, leading to the name 'Alte Post' for the old building.

• 1945

  Reichssender Flensburg broadcasts from a naval van in the courtyard; Dönitz and cabinet members speak from a temporary studio.

• 1900

  The building is slightly expanded.

• 1881

  The post office building opens.

• 1880

  Construction of the Imperial Post Office building begins at Rathausstraße 2, Flensburg.

Design hotel offering Nordic Life & Style with modern design and relaxed pricing in Flensburg's historic old town.

• Comfort double room

  25–30 m² room with double bed, Scandinavian furniture, for 2 (4) guests.

• Themed rooms

  Four themed rooms sponsored by Flensburger Brauerei, Orion, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, and Nord-Schrott.

• Conference rooms

  Five conference rooms for 10 to 100 attendees with modern technical equipment.

• Zeitlos Restaurant & Bar

  Restaurant serving locally sourced ingredients, fish, steaks, vegan dishes, and seasonal specialties.

• Cocktail bar

  On-site cocktail bar.

• Fitness area

  Fitness facilities for guests.

1. 1Home en - Hotel Flensburg: Alte Post, Designhotel, Restaurant Alte Post, Tagungen, Urlaub in Flensburgaltepost-flensburg.de
2. 2History - Hotel Flensburg: Alte Post, Designhotel, Restaurant Alte Post, Tagungen, Urlaub in Flensburgaltepost-flensburg.de
3. 3Alte Post (Flensburg) - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
4. 4Alte Post - Wikidatawikidata.org