With the redesign of the outdoor area, the Worpswede youth hostel is now the second of a total of 27 youth hostels in Lower Saxony and Bremen to provide its guests with a versatile soccer court with artificial turf. In January, extensive renovation work began on the outside and inside of the youth hostel on Hammeweg, which was built in 1932. The work was completed in August. The renovation cost almost one million euros and was financed by the German Youth Hostel Association (DJH).
“Only the shell is historical,” says Gesa Hauschild, looking at the bright, modern rooms of the Worpswede youth hostel, which the operators expect to receive 18,000 overnight stays a year. They had to renovate the building under monument protection, says the press spokesperson for the DJH regional association Unterweser-Ems, highlighting the difficulties of the remodeling. With the renovation, they have finally brought the 1970s style out of the old building of the Worpswede youth hostel. After renovating some rooms five years ago, another ten rooms in the old building have now been remodeled. They have been brought up to date with their own bathroom and toilet and new, custom-made furniture.
The response to the redesign and renovation has been absolutely positive. Families feel like they are in a hotel in the new rooms, reports Monika Helmers. They were absolutely delighted with the accommodation and food, says the manager. Not only have the rooms changed in line with the surroundings, but more space has also been created for teamwork.
“Only the shell is historical.”
Gesa Hauschild, DJH
70 primary school children recently visited the Worpswede youth hostel. Their teachers are said to be particularly pleased with the large, completely fenced outdoor area with soccer court and open-air arena. The arena can be used as a kind of “green classroom”, and children can move around freely and let off steam on hills, terraces and in the playground with new play equipment and crawl tunnels.
The decisive factor for the renovation and redesign of the outdoor area was an assessment of needs after the Corona period and the departure of the refugees who had been given temporary accommodation there for months. The main target group emerged as elementary school classes as well as various sports, yoga, singing and confirmation groups. “With their range of rooms, they are geared towards groups, families and individual travelers,” says Jan-Walter Feldmann, regional manager of the youth hostels in Verden and Worpswede. “We are very broadly positioned.”
Over the last ten years, the Worpswede youth hostel has been steadily invested in to bring it up to date in all areas, reports Oliver Engelhardt, deputy managing director of the non-profit organization that runs the youth hostels for the DJH. “Now we have made a major breakthrough in order to be competitive on the market,” he explains the latest reconstruction and renovation measures.
The newly renovated rooms at the Worpswede Youth Hostel are equipped with a custom-made twin bed, bunk bed and private bathroom with shower and toilet.
While the youth hostel was only partially occupied by refugees during the first wave of refugees in 2015, the house will be available exclusively to refugees from January 2023 to July 2024. Feldmann says they would take in refugees again, but would not take the house out of general use completely so as not to lose contact and regular guests. Taking in refugees could be a supplement to daily business in the winter, but is not currently an issue in Worpswede, says Oliver Engelhardt.
However, the area of personnel is also a major issue at the Worpswede youth hostel. As a training company, the Worpswede youth hostel is urgently looking for trainees for the housekeeping department. This is a training profession with great future prospects, promise Monika Helmers and Jan-Walter Feldmann. However, part-time employees in the areas of building services and housekeeping are also sought.
To the homepage
