Did you know that Hostelling International (HI) is 82 years old? Surprised right? It’s amazing what a decent eye cream can achieve!
In honour of what would have been our founder Richard Schirrmann’s 150th birthday (May 15th), we are taking you on a nostalgic trip through the years of hostelling; so grab your backpack and camera, make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes and follow us down the winding path of yesteryear…
1909
The founder of the youth hostel movement was Richard Schirrmann, a teacher from Germany. He was a firm believer in learning by direct observation and often took his classes on excursions and hiking trips. The hiking trips could last several days, and Richard and his pupils would find accommodation in farm buildings.
On one of these excursions, on 26 August 1909, the group was caught in a thunderstorm. They finally found shelter in a school building in the Bröl Valley. The headmaster let them use a classroom and a farmer gave them some straw to sleep on and some milk for their evening meal. The storm raged the whole night. While the boys slept, Richard lay awake. It was in this moment that he had the idea of using schools in Germany to provide accommodation during the school holidays.
In 1910 Richard wrote an essay setting out his ideas for “Volksschülerherbergen” (hostels for pupils of ordinary state schools), he wrote, “Two classrooms will suffice, one for boys and one for girls. Some desks can be stacked away thus freeing space to put down 15 beds. Each bed will consist of a tightly stuffed straw sack and pillow, two sheets and a blanket. Each child will be required to keep his own sleeping place clean and tidy.”
This was a very modest start for what was soon to be a worldwide youth hostel movement.
1912
Richard sets up the first youth hostel in his own school in Altena, Westphalia. Soon after this it is replaced by a permanent hostel in Altena Castle. The castle was restored and equipped according to Richard’s design, with two dormitories with massive triple-tier wooden bunk beds, a kitchen, wash-rooms and a shower bath.
1919
The youth hostel movement grew rapidly. In 1919 Richard founded the German Youth Hostel Association.
1921
In 1921 the number of overnight stays reached an impressive 500,000.
1932
By the summer of 1931 there were 12 youth hostel associations in existence in Europe, operating a total of 2,600 hostels, but there was very little contact between the associations. This all changed on 20 October 1932 when the first international conference was held at a hotel in Amsterdam. It was attended by representatives from 11 hostel associations: Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England and Wales, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Switzerland. Together they formed The International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) and Richard was appointed president.
1936
Richard is forced to resign by the German government.
1945
After World War II Richard worked on the rebuilding of the German association.
1952
Richard received the Bundesverdienstkreuz (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany).
2006
The IYHF operates as HI.
2014
Today we are one of the world’s largest international membership organisations with more than 3.7 million members and offer many benefits in addition to staying in HI hostels. When you want to stay in a hostel, we try to make sure you get the best experience possible. For us it’s not just about having a place to stay, it’s about you experiencing all that hostelling has to offer – whether that’s learning about new cultures, meeting new people or discovering yourself. We try to achieve this by working with our Youth Hostel Associations to ensure that hostelling is open to everyone (of any age), is affordable and that no matter which HI hostel you visit, you’ll get a great night’s sleep in a safe environment.
HI hostels can be found in some of the most inspiring and unusual places in the world. From a jumbo jet in Sweden to a lighthouse in California, our hostels are guaranteed to enhance your travel experience.
Do you have any hostelling stories from way-back-when? Let us know, we would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment in the box below or email us at socialmedia@hihostels.com.
Read more about the hostelling past with our exclusive look back at 1950s hostelling in the UK.
