Strong Women and the Emperor’s Blessing

Due to rapid industrialisation in the second half of the 19th century, there was a great need to care for children not yet of school age whose parents worked full-time in the factories. In 1881 the two Catholic families Greven and Schülgen founded a nursery school “Kleinkinderbewahrschule” on Annostraße together with the women’s association St. Severin. Due to lack of space, a new building at No. 1 Dreikönigenstraße was inaugurated on 10 December 1891. Running of the institution was then taken over by the Christian sisterly order “Schwestern der Christlichen Liebe” from Paderborn. Until World War I the establishment housed up to 400 children. Soon a facility to feed poor schoolchildren was set up, alongside a handicraft school for young girls and a home for young women.

To cover household expenses, in 1891 wealthy women pensioners were admitted to St. Josef-Haus. In 1904 the “St. Josef-Haus” foundation was set up with the approval of Kaiser Wilhelm II. In 1906 the first extension into the adjoining building took place. During the period of hyperinflation in 1923-24 the nuns then set up a “people’s kitchen” serving 400-500 meals a day. In the World War II, “St. Josef-Haus” suffered severe damage although most of the old building was saved. After the World War II a gradual rollback took place: by 2006 only kindergarten, day nursery and old people’s home were left. Due to the new construction and relocation of the kindergarten and old people’s home as well as the closure of the day nursery in 2006, the building lay largely empty until its renovation and establishment as a hotel in 2009.