The German Youth Movement, a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896, worried about the health of poor city youngsters. The children needed to enjoy the fresh air outdoors and to be physically active in team sports and physical education.
Now to the German citizen Richard Schirrmann (1874-1961) who studied to become a teacher, graduated in 1895 and was sent to Altena in Westphalia in 1903. On a trip out of town, the students had to spend their nights in dismal barns or inappropriate village school buildings. Schirrmann felt that students should see new sights and have new experiences outside the classroom, because people learned best by observation.
Schirrmann had became alarmed, he wrote, at the impact of Germany’s industrial revolution on students' health and welfare. So in 1909 he first published his idea of cheap and healthy overnight accommodation for young people. He received plenty of support, enabling him in 1912 to open his first youth hostel in the rebuilt Altena castle, above the River Lenne.
Although Schirrmann’s first youth hostels in Germany had no connection to do with the German Youth Movement, timing was critical! Not only did poor city youngsters need to enjoy the outdoors; they had to care for the hostel themselves wherever possible. This kept the costs down, built character and a sense of independence, and helped make new friends.
Schirrmann served during the tragic WW1. But after the war, Schirrmann wondered if "thoughtful young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other". So in 1919, he founded a youth hostel association, and in 1922, he retired from teaching to focus entirely on his project.
The Youth Hostels’ Historical Archive is now available at the Cadbury Research Library, Birmingham University. Researchers can access YHA’s archives which hold national and regional records, reports, handbooks, publications, personal memories and photos.
Now to the German citizen Richard Schirrmann (1874-1961) who studied to become a teacher, graduated in 1895 and was sent to Altena in Westphalia in 1903. On a trip out of town, the students had to spend their nights in dismal barns or inappropriate village school buildings. Schirrmann felt that students should see new sights and have new experiences outside the classroom, because people learned best by observation.
Schirrmann had became alarmed, he wrote, at the impact of Germany’s industrial revolution on students' health and welfare. So in 1909 he first published his idea of cheap and healthy overnight accommodation for young people. He received plenty of support, enabling him in 1912 to open his first youth hostel in the rebuilt Altena castle, above the River Lenne.
Although Schirrmann’s first youth hostels in Germany had no connection to do with the German Youth Movement, timing was critical! Not only did poor city youngsters need to enjoy the outdoors; they had to care for the hostel themselves wherever possible. This kept the costs down, built character and a sense of independence, and helped make new friends.
Schirrmann served during the tragic WW1. But after the war, Schirrmann wondered if "thoughtful young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other". So in 1919, he founded a youth hostel association, and in 1922, he retired from teaching to focus entirely on his project.
photo credit: YHA Archive
The movement flourished in Germany, with 2000+ youth hostels operating before the Depression. By then the youth hostel concept had spread all over Europe and beyond! In 1932, a formal organisation called the International Youth Hostel Federation was founded in Amsterdam, consisting of youth hostels from Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, UK, Ireland, France, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and Belgium. Under Schirrmann’s chairmanship, the organisation grew and grew.
These hostels provided budget-oriented accommodation where young people could rent a bunk bed in a dormitory, and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Hostels were often cheaper for both the operator and occupants; many hostels had long-term residents whom they employed as desk agents or housekeepers, in exchange for cut-rate accommodation.
Americans Isabel and Monroe Smith attended the 2nd world meeting of the International Youth Hostel Federation in 1933. The very next year they opened the first American youth hostel in Northfield Mass. And soon the American Youth Hostels network had 30+ hostels throughout rural New England, primarily to serve outdoor enthusiasts. Its growth received wide attention and the warm endorsement of President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1936.
Ominous European political currents overshadowed much of the international movement in the late 1930s. Some hostels were closed, and others were appropriated by governments for military purposes. The operations of many European associations were suspended.
By the time Joe and I were in Europe (1970-5) we stayed in youth hostels in Israel, Cyprus, Greece and every country en route to Britain. In any case, in the later C20th the needs of the modern-day traveller were changing. Young people who travelled widely wanted more private rooms, better toilets and hot showers, and they wanted to book on-line.
Today there are Youth Hostels in cottages, castles, mansions and in modern buildings, in towns and in the countryside. These sociable places are open to everyone and they don't pay any kind of profit to private concerns.
Great Ormond St Hostel, London,
Dining room 1936
photo credit: YHA Archive
To show that youth hostels can be cheap AND fascinating, the Daily Mail suggested some great places. Guests go through the old triple portcullis gatehouse of St Briavels Castle, Gloucs and into a secluded courtyard and walled garden. Then go into the West Tower for a royal welcome to King John's C13th hunting lodge. The Castle also boasts a Chapel, gallows and a prison. It costs £18 for bunk bed.
Beverley Friary is nestled in East Yorkshire, in the heart of the market town of Beverley. Visit the Yorkshire coast line and nearby Hull during the day, and at night, retire back to beautifully restored Dominican friary (£13 a bed), cited in the Canterbury Tales.
The Guardian recommended Abbey House in Whitby, North Yorkshire. Whitby youth hostel sits on a magnificent headland. The pastel-hued rooftops of the town are spread out below, while the North Sea crashes beyond the harbour wall. And see the well preserved ruins of Whitby Abbey behind. The bedrooms (£18.50 per night) are very spartan, but the building is well preserved C17th hand-carved banisters. And note it was from Whitby that Capt Cook sailed to Australia.
Ottawa Jail Hostel in Canada offers a unique mix of shared and private jail cells, as well as traditional hostel style rooms, starting at £12. Formerly the Carleton County Gaol Jail, it is an historic landmark in the heart of the city.
Karei Deshe Youth Hostel, Israel
Dormitory with bunk beds
Kyoto Youth Hostel
For an ancient castle overlooking Germany’s Rhine Valley, see the C12th Castle Stahleck which became Bacharach Hostel (£15 a night). This UNESCO World Heritage Site sits in the town’s main street that has also been restored to its Middle Ages glory - half-timbered houses, picturesque court yards and taverns.
My own favourite is Karei Deshe Youth Hostel Guest House, situated on the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The guest house is built around a beautiful inner courtyard, with palm trees, lawns and great sea views. Each room has 2, 4 or 6 beds and each has its own bathroom.
The movement flourished in Germany, with 2000+ youth hostels operating before the Depression. By then the youth hostel concept had spread all over Europe and beyond! In 1932, a formal organisation called the International Youth Hostel Federation was founded in Amsterdam, consisting of youth hostels from Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, UK, Ireland, France, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and Belgium. Under Schirrmann’s chairmanship, the organisation grew and grew.
These hostels provided budget-oriented accommodation where young people could rent a bunk bed in a dormitory, and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Hostels were often cheaper for both the operator and occupants; many hostels had long-term residents whom they employed as desk agents or housekeepers, in exchange for cut-rate accommodation.
Americans Isabel and Monroe Smith attended the 2nd world meeting of the International Youth Hostel Federation in 1933. The very next year they opened the first American youth hostel in Northfield Mass. And soon the American Youth Hostels network had 30+ hostels throughout rural New England, primarily to serve outdoor enthusiasts. Its growth received wide attention and the warm endorsement of President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1936.
Ominous European political currents overshadowed much of the international movement in the late 1930s. Some hostels were closed, and others were appropriated by governments for military purposes. The operations of many European associations were suspended.
By the time Joe and I were in Europe (1970-5) we stayed in youth hostels in Israel, Cyprus, Greece and every country en route to Britain. In any case, in the later C20th the needs of the modern-day traveller were changing. Young people who travelled widely wanted more private rooms, better toilets and hot showers, and they wanted to book on-line.
Today there are Youth Hostels in cottages, castles, mansions and in modern buildings, in towns and in the countryside. These sociable places are open to everyone and they don't pay any kind of profit to private concerns.
Dining room 1936
photo credit: YHA Archive
To show that youth hostels can be cheap AND fascinating, the Daily Mail suggested some great places. Guests go through the old triple portcullis gatehouse of St Briavels Castle, Gloucs and into a secluded courtyard and walled garden. Then go into the West Tower for a royal welcome to King John's C13th hunting lodge. The Castle also boasts a Chapel, gallows and a prison. It costs £18 for bunk bed.
Beverley Friary is nestled in East Yorkshire, in the heart of the market town of Beverley. Visit the Yorkshire coast line and nearby Hull during the day, and at night, retire back to beautifully restored Dominican friary (£13 a bed), cited in the Canterbury Tales.
The Guardian recommended Abbey House in Whitby, North Yorkshire. Whitby youth hostel sits on a magnificent headland. The pastel-hued rooftops of the town are spread out below, while the North Sea crashes beyond the harbour wall. And see the well preserved ruins of Whitby Abbey behind. The bedrooms (£18.50 per night) are very spartan, but the building is well preserved C17th hand-carved banisters. And note it was from Whitby that Capt Cook sailed to Australia.
Ottawa Jail Hostel in Canada offers a unique mix of shared and private jail cells, as well as traditional hostel style rooms, starting at £12. Formerly the Carleton County Gaol Jail, it is an historic landmark in the heart of the city.
Karei Deshe Youth Hostel, Israel
Dormitory with bunk beds
Kyoto Youth Hostel
For an ancient castle overlooking Germany’s Rhine Valley, see the C12th Castle Stahleck which became Bacharach Hostel (£15 a night). This UNESCO World Heritage Site sits in the town’s main street that has also been restored to its Middle Ages glory - half-timbered houses, picturesque court yards and taverns.
My own favourite is Karei Deshe Youth Hostel Guest House, situated on the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The guest house is built around a beautiful inner courtyard, with palm trees, lawns and great sea views. Each room has 2, 4 or 6 beds and each has its own bathroom.
The Youth Hostels’ Historical Archive is now available at the Cadbury Research Library, Birmingham University. Researchers can access YHA’s archives which hold national and regional records, reports, handbooks, publications, personal memories and photos.