The history of Victoria Hotel Amsterdam
The Victoria Hotel opened its doors on August 19, 1890 after intensive constructions.
The German architect J.F Henkenhaf started the whole idea for a hotel in 1883 when he founded the company N.V. Hotelonderneming Victoria Hotel.
The German architect J.F Henkenhaf started the whole idea for a hotel in 1883 when he founded the company N.V. Hotelonderneming Victoria Hotel.
He
strategically planned the hotel across the Amsterdam Central Station,
on the corner of Damrak and Prins Hendrikkade. In order to build his
hotel he had the tear down a few of the original houses on the
Damrak and buy some properties that were not yet in his posession on
Prins Hendrikkade. Henkenhaf and his partner were also the architects
of the Kurhaus in Scheveningen that opened in 1885. Apparently they were motivated after their successful expansion of an other hotel in Amsterdam, Krasnapolsky. Damrak 1 was known as the house with the small tower which is still a characteristic landmark of Amsterdam when you arrive through the Central Station main entrance. He also tried to obtain the buildings of numbers 47 and 45 on Prins Hendrikkade but he never managed due to high prices. That is why up to today the hotel is built around these two buildings, now souvenir shops. |
The
hotel was the first in the Netherlands that had electric lighting
throughout the whole building including all the rooms. And to bring
back noise from outside to a minimum all rooms had double windows.
The hotel attracted the rich and famous from th very first day and welcomed local and international guests. Celebrities like Mata Hari, Billy Graham, Louis Armstrong, the German actress and singer Zarah Leander, British actress Glenda Jackson and boogie woogie rock & roll legend Fats Domino are only a few to name.
The hotel attracted the rich and famous from th very first day and welcomed local and international guests. Celebrities like Mata Hari, Billy Graham, Louis Armstrong, the German actress and singer Zarah Leander, British actress Glenda Jackson and boogie woogie rock & roll legend Fats Domino are only a few to name.
http://victoria-hotel-amsterdam.com/history.html