History

The Viennese Ringstrasse and the Parisian Boulevards were models for the „Ringe“ in Cologne, construction of which was begun in 1880.

A six kilometers long avenue with parks, manorial villas and public buildings like the opera. Divided in ten sections, the „Ringe“ were named according to German history. In the early nineteen-twenties, the face of the „Ringe“ began to change: Shops were opened, upper middle class apartments were converted for use as offices, practices and rows of houses were replaced by modern buildings. The tranquillity of the larger parks were forced to give way to trams and automobiles. Although unable to avoid this development, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring experienced a renaissance as the result of recent reconstruction of the „Ringe“.

One hundred years after its inauguration, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring began to shine once again in new glory with the flair of a boulevard - directly in front of the Antik Hotel Bristol. Following the Second World War, the patrician house at No. 48 Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring was converted to a hotel and in 1976, received a special and personal touch after having been acquired by the present proprietors, the Hummel family. Thanks to the antique furnishings, collect over the decades, the hotel offers a genuine atmosphere.