History

The ‚Hochstein‘

The ‘Hotel am Bayrischen Platz’ was built in 1862 and opened under the name ‘Hochstein’ with its own restaurant. The brisk traffic passing through the then new Bayrischer Bahnhof made its location particularly attractive for the proprietor, the merchant Georg Müller.

The guests

The hotel, with its villa styling and what was then a large restaurant and a fine wine tavern, was very popular among both rail travellers to the city and Leipzig families. One of the best-known guests of the ‘Hochstein’ was Karl Marx (the founder of scientific socialism), who stayed at the hotel with his daughter as a guest of Wilhelm Liebknecht in 1874. This famous visitor is commemorated by both a plaque on the wall of the building and the Karl Marx Room, still furnished in the style of the time.

Our tip: Book the Karl Marx Room for your next visit!

All manner of societies and associations held meetings at the ‘Hochstein’, such as the Russian Academic Society (after 1900).

The ‘Hochstein’ was also a popular bar among Leipzig’s students, before German reunification.

The facts

  • 1862 Built by the merchant Georg Müller.
  • 1865 Sold to manufactured goods wholesaler Friedrich Wilhelm Heymann.
  • 1872 Purchased by innkeeper and restorer Louis-Ferdinand Hochstein, who ran the Hotel Hochstein until 1882.
  • 1874 Visit by Karl Marx, 22-24 September.
  • 1879/81 Taken over by Christian-Gottlieb König.
  • 1888 Passed to hotelier W. Große and in the same year to C.F. Mertens.
  • 1898 A. Matusch took ownership of the hotel.
  • 1911 to 1949 Under the management of Max Passig.
  • 1949 The building passed into municipal ownership and was used in the 1950s by the HO wholesale organisation. Until 1989 the hotel was run by Manfred Ernst.
  • In 1995–1997 the building, now under a conservation order, was restored at great expense by the Gross family of Frankfurt am Main and run as a small family business until early 2014.
  • Since March 2014 the Hotel am Bayrischen Platz has been run by MTVB Gastronomie und Hotel-Betriebs GmbH.