Bayerischer Hof

1839 On the wishes of His Majesty Ludwig I of Bavaria, the future "Reichsrat" and knight Joseph Anton von Maffei purchased the guesthouse on Promenadeplatz and commissioned the architect Friedrich von Gärtner to build a new hotel on the same site. The King himself soon became a guest. Twice a month he took a royal bath at the Bayerischer Hof, since his own residence lacked this modern convenience (namely, a bathtub). Many illustrious visitors followed: from Empress Elisabeth and composer Richard Wagner to Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton – Franz Kafka, Albert Einstein, Michael Jackson and the Rolling Stones among them.

15. October 1841: the hotel opened

1897 Herrmann Volkhardt acquired the Hotel Bayerischer Hof for the princely sum of 2,850,000 gold marks and modernised it

1944 When the hotel was destroyed by aerial bombing during the night of 24-25 April, it looked like all hope was lost. But Hermann Volkhardt never lost faith in the future and proclaimed: "We shall rebuild the Bayerischer Hof to be more beautiful than ever before."

1945 Falk Volkhardt, the son of Hermann Volkhardt, made an incredible discovery beneath the ruins of the destroyed hotel - the Spiegelsaal (Mirror Hall) had survived almost intact. In October 1945, this was where he opened the first restaurant in the centre of Munich. The Volkhardt family began the process of rebuilding the Bayerischer Hof.

1959 Falk Volkhardt took over to become the third generation at the Bayerischer Hof. Within two years he had restored the hotel to being the dominant building on Promenadeplatz, with seven storeys and a 71 metre long facade.

1969 Falk Volkhardt bought the adjacent Palais Montgelas and work started on the restoration of this protected monument and sumptuous classical building. Although he had to pay a lot for the palace, he fulfilled another dream that same year by buying the Hotel Zur Tenne in Kitzbuehel/Austria.

1992 Falk Volkhardt, faced with declining health and in keeping with the family tradition, handed over the Bayerischer Hof to his daughter Innegrit Volkhardt, the fourth generation. She became General Manager in 1992.

1994 - 2004 Innegrit Volkhardt became Managing Partner of the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in 1994. As well as organisational reorientation to become a forward-looking business, Innegrit Volkhardt also initiated a ten year plan for the complete renovation and modernisation of the Bayerischer Hof and the Hotel Zur Tenne. With the refurbishment of the swimming pool on the roof of the Bayerischer Hof and the accompanying expansion of the hotel with a large-scale health and fitness centre, she has successfully concluded her ten year plan.

From Empress Elisabeth and composer Richard Wagner to Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton – Franz Kafka, Albert Einstein, Michael Jackson and the Rolling Stones are among them.