08.09.2020
06:09
4.098
Dresden’s balcony celebrates its 125th birthday: eventful history in the Luisenhof restaurant!
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From Katrin Koch
Dresden – When the funicular went into operation on September 25, 1895, the “Luisenhof” restaurant at the mountain station also welcomed its first guests. This month, host Carsten Rühle (51) and his wife Carolin are celebrating the 125th birthday of the “balcony of Dresden“.
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Carsten Rühle (51) and his wife Carolin (39) toast the birthday. There are 3- and 4-course anniversary menus for guests in September. © Eric Münch
Turbulent decades lie behind the “Luisenhof”. The management changed – the popularity remained.
The Reck family followed in 1920 by Hedwig and Albin Voigt. In 1930 you invested in a spectacular electric automobile elevator, among other things. After the end of the war, Voigt’s son Hansotto had to lease the Luisenhof to the HO.
It shouldn’t be the worst stroke of fate for the family. The youngest daughter Helga (15) dies in a fire in the Luisenhof in 1956.
In 1975 the city of Dresden bought the Luisenhof – for a mere 300,000 GDR marks. The Voigts receive the sum in monthly installments of 3,000 marks!
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So it went on for the popular restaurant after the GDR
In 1998 the Luisenhof is a complete construction site. The renovation cost 15 million Deutschmarks. © archive image
At the turn the “Luisenhof” is run down. In 1997, contractor Günther Gsödl invested in a two-year general overhaul.
Cult host Armin Schumann pampers his guests for over 13 years, including 5000 St. Martin’s geese every year. At the end of 2014, the Luisenhof is foreclosed for 1.8 million euros, Schumann terminates the lease early.
The kitchen will stay cold until March 2018. Then the Rühle family takes over the downsized and stylishly renovated “Luisenhof”.
They too can look back on turbulent years. “A lot happened in 2019. We added one room to the bar. Our house burned down just one day after the inauguration,” Rühle says.
And further: “We lived with our parents-in-law for five weeks. And our daughter started school.”
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Corona and funicular overhaul paralyze the local area, but not completely!
The Dresdeners have loved their Luisenhof for 125 years – and not just because of the wonderful view of the Elbe Valley. © Eric Münch
In 2020, Corona will shut down the restaurant for eight weeks.
To make matters worse: “The funicular has been overhauled since June – work will continue until February. That’s why we pick up our guests from the valley station with a small shuttle bus,” said Rühle.
“Still, we can’t complain. The Dresdeners like to come to us and stay loyal to us. It won’t be a great year, but we’ll make it.”
The boss happily concludes: “In 2021 our reservation book will be full.”
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The namesake ran away with the head of house
It brought a tangible scandal to the nobility: Luise of Tuscany. © Rauch Collection / interfoto_rm
The name “Luisenhof” is reminiscent of Luise von Toskana (1870-1947), the wife of Prince Friedrich August of Saxony.
The Crown Princess, extremely popular among the population, gave birth to six children. Pregnant with the seventh child of her children’s head of house, the Austrian Archduchess fled with her brother towards Lake Geneva.
In 1902, the married drama caused the first huge scandal in the German aristocracy of the 20th century.
King Georg divorced the marriage in 1903 by a special court, Luise was expelled from the imperial family in Vienna and the Saxon court.
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The historical postcard shows the Luisenhof around 1910. A military band played every Monday in the summer. © Naumann Collection
When Luise’s apanages did not materialize after the Second World War, she died impoverished as a flower woman in Vienna.
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Cover photo: Montage: Eric Münch (2)
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