History
Family Background
• 1857 February 24: Friedrich Haerlin is born into a restaurateur family near Stuttgart.
• 1873: The Haerlin family loses their business after a stock crash.
• 1874: Young Friedrich Haerlin moves to Switzerland where he starts a waiter in a restautrant, followed by a Hotel.
• 1880: Haerlin’s career continues at to the Hotel Baur au Lac in Zurich
• 1882: Haerlin becomes manager of the « Bellevue » in Bern, today the Bellevue Palace.
• 1893: Herlin and his wife Thekla Touissant lease Hotel Bellevue at Lake Thun in Switzerland.
Haerlin Era
• 1897: Friedrich Haerlin buys the small « Hotel zu den Vier Jahreszeiten » located on the Alster for 420,100 Mark. The Hotel has only 11 rooms, Haerlin invests another 100,000 Mark to renovate the Hotel.
• 1903: Acquisition of the adjascent building Neuer Jungfernstieg N° 12.
• 1905 November 23: Grand Opening of the enlarged Hotel with 57 rooms.
• 1906: Opening of the Hamburger Hauptbahnhof, the Railway station, more people travel to the Hansestadt.
• 1909: The brother of the German Emperor Wilhem II, Prince Heinrich of Prussia and his wife Princess Irene of Hessen-Darmstadt fall in love with the Hotel. They become friends with Friedrich Haerlin and promote him around their circles.
• 1911: Acquisition of more neighbouring properties, the Four Seasons grows to 140 rooms and 50 bathrooms.
• 1912: Hamburg’s port is ranked the 3rd important in the world after London and New York, opening of the U Bahn, the Hamburg Underground.
• 1914: Outbreak of the First World War, guest are missing.
• 1918 November 2: End of World War I.
• 1918 November 9: Abdication of Emperor Wilhelm II and end of the monarchy in Germany. Revolutionary sailors were in Hamburg, heavily armed « Workers & Soldiers » took over the hotel.
• 1919 March: End of the occupation of the Hotel which is left in a demolished condition. Founding of the compay Haerlin Junior & Co. GmbH including Friedrich Haerlin’s 21 year old son Fritz. Renovation of the Hotel and opening of Restaurant Haerlin.
• 1963: Princess Soraya stays at the Vierjahreszeiten.
Article by « Grand Hotels of the World & VB.com », written from « Cremerie de Paris ».
