c. 1910 – The hotel and restaurant Voss Haus in Eutin, Germany. Scan © Mark Zanzig/Zanzig.com/Photo: F. Henning
The story behind the image
Eutin is a beautiful town situated in Northern Germany between the cities of Kiel and Lübeck. It has a long history, and it is well worth a visit. Its stunning castle and gardens are located directly at the Kellersee.
It used to be at the center of the touristic boom that set at the end of the 19th century in Northern Germany, specifically in the area of Ost Holstein. Travelers came from all across Germany to experience the clean air, the lovely landscape and the friendly hosts. In and around Eutin several high-end hotels opened, and one of these was the Voss Haus.
The building was Initially inhabited by Count Friedrich Leopold of Stolberg, and later the home of Johann Heinrich Voss (1751-1826), a prominent poet and translator of the Greek classics. Voss served as rector of Eutin from approximately 1782 to 1802 and translated, among other works, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey in this house.
Since 1885, the Voss House served as a traditional hotel and restaurant that hosted guests for over 130 years. It was considered a landmark of the town and was deeply rooted in Eutin’s cultural memory.
However, in the night of January 30, 2006, the historic building was destroyed by arson. The fire department’s response was one of the largest in Eutin’s history. 21 firefighters battled the flames, and fortunately, just two firefighters were injured, suffering minor injuries.
After the fire, the area around Vossplatz in the center of the town remained a sad vacant lot. Reconstruction was delayed by lengthy legal and neighborly disputes. But, in 2019 the new hotel opened its doors, and it is a joy to see that the architects did a terrific job by just gently reworking the facade.
This image was shot by Friedrich Henning shows the original building around 1910.
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Photographer Friedrich Henning was a native of Plön (1835-1921), and one of the established photographers in the region. At the age of 31, he married Juliane Dorothea Ernestine Bendt (1846-1919). Ten years later, their son Friedrich Henning (1877-1942) was born who also became a photographer and took over the business. It’s not clear who actually shot the image. As Friedrich junior was just 19 in 1896, it is likely that Friedrich senior created the image. But it did happen in their studio in Plön. By the way, I found an interesting image on Flickr showing the entrance to the studio in 2018.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | c. 1910 |
| Photographer | F. Henning, Plön |
| Location | Eutin, Germany |
| Image Source | 12 x 17 cm rasterized print |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 16 bits/pixel, grayscale |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 3953 x 2790 Pixels |
| Copyright | Photo © by F. Henning, Scan by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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