< ITALY | BOLZANO: Parkhotel Laurin

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Located in the heart of Bolzano just steps from Piazza del Municipio and Piazza Walther and surrounded by its own private gardens, the Parkhotel Laurin was built by Maximilian Staffler and designed by the architect bothers Ludwig. After a construction period of one and a half years, the hotel opened on 15th August 1910.

With compressor units, lifts, electric lighting in each room and extensive fire prevention systems, Hotel Laurin was one of Europe’s most modern hospitality establishments. The walls of the Laurin Bar are decorated by unique fresco panels of Art Nouveau painter Bruno Goldschmitt dating back to 1911. From its opening, the hotel immediately became immensely popular, counting members of the Austrian royal family and several German princes among its regular guests.

During the First World War, it served as a base for the Austro-Hungarian high command. After the war repair work was quickly started and the hotel was soon able to profit from the boom in the tourism sector. The family invested the income to install wash basins and luxurious bathrooms in the hotel rooms.

Bolzano was a target for numerous bombing raids during World War Two and the hotel was badly damaged. However, work began soon after the end of the war and the hotel reopened in 1948. Bolzano grew in importance as an industrial and trading town, and the Parkhotel became the abode of choice and a popular meeting place for national and international business people. South Tyrol became an attractive holiday destination among Germans in the 1960s and ‘70s. Once again the Parkhotel managed to profit from this trend which is now experiencing a further renaissance.

In the early 1990s, the hotel was completely renovated. In addition to modifying and refurbishing the rooms it was equipped with a modern conference area, the bar and its original murals were restored and the restaurant was redesigned.

In 2009 the park was enriched with a summer lounge, and in 2012, the summer house in the hotel park was transformed into a lovely fitness room with a small but selected gym equipment. Today, Parkhotel Laurin, a symbol of elegance in the heart of Bolzano, is still privately owned by the Staffler family.

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