History

It all started with a teacher
The hostel movement as such started in Germany. A young German teacher, Richard Schirrmann, took his pupils on a walking holiday during which they slept in barns, etc. I 1909, he began to consider the possibility of setting up permanent places to stay for these trips.

The organisation started as a partnership between Richard Schirrmann and businessman Wilhelm Münker. It started in 1912 with a youth hostel in Altena and, by 1913, 83 youth hostels had been set up. Work was naturally put on hold during the First World War, but after 1920, the movement began to flourish again and spread throughout Europe where, between 1924 and 1931, hostel organisations were set up in 10 countries. The first youth hostel was opened in Denmark in 1930.

From youth hostel to hostel
As the years went by, the youth hostels underwent a transformation from large dormitories to modern hostels. Today, all Danhostel hostels offer family rooms, often with their own ensuite shower and toilet. The hostels of today are of good quality and now also attract a different set of customers. In spite of the fact that DANHOSTEL Danmarks Vandrerhjem does not own the hostels, we go to great lengths to standardise the hostel product in certain areas, to ensure that the basic product is of a consistently high quality. At the same time, we applaud the charming differences at each of our hostels and we guarantee that no two hostels are alike! A lot has happened in the 77 years since the opening of the first Danish hostel, but hospitality, the informal and relaxed time together and the hosts’ personal commitment in particular remain an extremely important part of the spirit of the hostels.

The hostel’s rightful place in the tourism scene
With some 1.2 million bed nights within the Danhostel chain in 2006, hostels are a major part of the accommodation sector in Denmark and, thanks to our marketing and cooperation with other players in the tourism community, we are participating on an equal footing in the overall presentation of places to stay in Denmark.