A conference hotel in an imperial town
Lots of history shining in a new splendour!
The tower was built in 1508 as a fortification of the “Rosentor” (Rose Gate), which was the northern gateway into the town Hildesheim via the major roadway, the Heerstrasse. The tower, first called the "Rosentorzwinger", is 22 metres in diameter and the walls are nearly 5 metres thick and 16 metres high. It is made of irregular broken stones which partly show Gothic mouldings. The tower was crowned by a high slate-tiled pointed roof, which was probably removed at the beginning of the 19th century.
The name “Achtermann” (an old mayor-family of Goslar) was assigned to the tower at around 1800. The original Achtermann outer ward, built in 1501, was a gigantic, heavily armed fortified tower and located between the “Rosentor” and the “Breites Tor” (Broad Gate). The latter has been pulled down in 1792 after the town fortifications have lost their actual character of protection.
The present Achtermann Stronghold has not been demolished as the Butchers' Guild used it as a sheep barn. After some structural changes in1868, the ground floor was reopened on 2 June 1886 by the new owner Ernst Paul in form of a Altdeutsche Bierhalle, or Old German Beer Hall. Today's restaurant, the “Altdeutsche Stuben”, has been maintained in its original condition. Two of the three upper storeys with their shooting slits in the walls, were transformed into the pompous Turmsaal (Tower Hall) with ancient ceiling paintings. Adjacent to the thick tower walls was Paul’s Hotel, a multi storeyed half-timbered building.
In 1898, Heinrich Pieper took over the restaurant and built the Hotel Der Achtermann between 1908 and 1910, which already had central heating, water closets and electric lights in all of the rooms. After his death, the group of heirs called “Gerecke” managed the hotel and restaurant. The years of war and post-war, when Goslar was situated at the inner-German border, let the once highly traditional hotel become a financial problem for the city and was thus closed in 1978. With the help of enormous redevelopments and extensions, in connection with the convention centre built in 1980, the conference hotel DER ACHTERMANN became again the centre of cultural life and business in Goslar. The convention centre belongs to the most popular conference hotels in mid-Germany. Since 1992, Karl-Heinz Reinheimer and his son Joachim have given the hotel a new profile, whose completed and planned renovations renew the Achtermann's appearance without neglecting its established tradition.
DER ACHTERMANN - an honourable name, paying homage to its historic roots of Goslar and tastefully combining tradition and modernity.