History of the hotel
1914
Construction of the building, the plans for which were drawn up by Cologne city planning director Hans Verbeek, began in 1913. After a one-year construction period, the Kaiser-Wilhelm Bad was inaugurated and put into operation in 1914.
The Art Nouveau-style baths were initially used by the Deutz cuirassiers as a military bathing facility. The building, which also included the adjoining public library, was financed by the Cologne entrepreneur Fritz Vorster, owner of the former Kalk chemical factory.
1918
After the First World War, the baths were opened to the public. The Kaiser-Wilhelm Bad was the first public bathing establishment on the right bank of the Rhine in Cologne until it was partially destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.
1947
After the war, the rubble-filled pool was dug out and reopened to the public under the name Deutz-Kalker Bad. The building, renamed Deutz-Kalker Bad, now had the sober architectural style of post-war Germany. There was only one other bathing establishment in Cologne at this time: the Neptunbad.
Until the 1960s, the Deutz-Kalker Bad was a training facility for SV Rhenania Köln and regularly welcomed prominent bathers such as boxers Peter Müller and Jupp Elze.
After the thermal baths in the Rheinpark burnt down in 1986, the thermal water was filled into tankers and transported from the Deutz Rheinpark to the Deutz-Kalker Bad to fill the pool. This meant that the people of Cologne could continue to use the healing water.
1996
The opening of the Claudius-Therme thermal and wellness baths in Cologne-Deutz marked the final closure of the Deutz-Kalker baths.
2008
The conversion into a hotel began under strict monument protection regulations. Great importance was attached to preserving the historical components, such as the stucco ceilings and tiles in the entrance area.
The extension to the building complex in a modern architectural style was designed to match this.
2010
The opening of the 4-star Hotel Stadtpalais was celebrated in May. The extraordinary architecture, a combination of historical tradition and modern architecture, makes the hotel an exclusive first-class hotel.
Several contemporary works of art and a pinnacle of Cologne Cathedral have found their way into the hotel.
In the lobby area of the hotel you will find Bio’s Bar, dedicated to the grand seigneur of German TV entertainment, Dr. Alfred Biolek, with some of his important awards as well as memories of the greats in his shows.
2019
The KWB restaurant in the Stadtpalais is opened after a complex construction phase and many different usage and operator concepts.
The tiles laid in the restaurant pay homage to the Kaiser-Wilhelm Bad and depict the former pool. Both the tiles and the diving board are original props from the historic baths.