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Schlosshotel Kronberg
Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse, Germany · Independent · Accessible Luxury
Above the door of Schloss Friedrichshof the inscription still reads FRIDERICI MEMORIAE, to the memory of Friedrich. Victoria, Empress Frederick, daughter of Queen Victoria and widow of the 99-day emperor, had Ernst Ihne build her this country house in the Taunus, finished in 1893 with electric light from a Siemens & Halske plant she paid for with a five-million-franc legacy. Queen Victoria came in the spring of 1895 and said she would rather live here than in Darmstadt, and the house has taken paying guests as Schlosshotel Kronberg since 1954.
- 58 rooms
- Opened 1954
- Neighborhood: Kronberg
- Architect: Ernst Ihne
- Interiors: Prince Philipp of Hesse
About Schlosshotel Kronberg
- In October 1896 Tsar Nicholas II and Alix spent a day at Friedrichshof, looked over the rooms, and said he wanted to copy a great deal of them.
- In August 1898 an English alliance offer was made to Wilhelm II inside Friedrichshof, and he sent the secret paper to the Tsar to see whether Nicholas would outbid London.
- A roof fire in 1967 destroyed the second and third floors. Philipp Holzmann, the firm that had built the palace 75 years earlier, still had the plans and put them back.
- American officers, using the confiscated palace as a country club, stole the family jewels that had been walled into the coal cellar. A US court martial in Frankfurt imprisoned them, and only a small part was recovered.
- The house holds 58 rooms and suites, no two alike, and Landgravine Floria of Hesse still dresses them in the English country-house manner.
History
FRIDERICI MEMORIAE stands over the door of Schloss Friedrichshof: to the memory of Friedrich. Victoria, Empress Frederick, daughter of Queen Victoria and widow of Friedrich III, the 99-day emperor, commissioned Berlin court architect Ernst Ihne to build a country house in the Taunus. After four years of work the palace, stables, and outbuildings were finished in 1893, with central heating, a freight lift, and electric light from a Siemens & Halske plant, the first coal-fired power station in the area, paid for with five million francs left by the Duchess of Galliera. Queen Victoria visited in the spring of 1895. Tsar Nicholas II and Alix came for a day in October 1896. The house opened as Schlosshotel Kronberg in 1954. Prince Philipp of Hesse shaped the hotel interiors, and the park became an 18-hole golf course that left the old trees standing. A roof fire in 1967 destroyed the second and third floors. Philipp Holzmann, which had built the palace, still held the plans and restored it. The estate is held by the Hessische Hausstiftung, chaired by Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse. Landgravine Floria looks after the rooms.
The setting
2 km from Opel Zoo. 18 km from Frankfurt's Palmengarten botanical garden.
Restaurants and bars
- Restaurant Victoria — Restaurant · European · Chef Christoph Hesse
- Restaurant Enrico d'Assia — Restaurant · German and Italian
Experiences
- Guided tour of the castle — Once a month, a tour reveals the history, architecture and the story of Empress Victoria Friedrich.
- Champagne Sunday — Held every Sunday on the castle terrace.
- English Afternoon Tea — Afternoon tea served in the empress's former private quarters from 3 October 2026.
- Cocktail classes — Monthly session on the last Sunday where guests learn a cocktail theme and mix two cocktails under guidance.
- Venison Weekend — Exclusive 4-course venison menu to celebrate hunting season, on 21 and 22 November.
- New Year's Eve dinner and fireworks — New Year's Eve 2026 includes a 6-course meal and midnight fireworks display in the castle park.
Open Schlosshotel Kronberg in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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