The Gramberg family has been on Norderney for almost 150 years and has worked in the gastronomy industry for just as long. Originally it started with the Café “Giftbude” and the Hotel “Kaiserhof”. The café "Wilhelmshöhe" and the "Bremer Häuser" were added.
Up to 1928 and 1932 things were going well. Then the Gramberg family departed and left the island for several years. The family spent this time in Nastätten and Nassau, where they continued to work within the gastronomy industry.
In 1957 Gertrud and Carl Helmuth Gramberg founded the restaurant and pub "Friesenschänke" in the Heinrichstraße. Some years later the Gramberg family opened Hotel Friese.
In 1965 the hotel, at that time still called "Phoenix", was acquired by the Gramberg family and renamed it Hotel Friese. Since then the hotel has been renovated and extended several times so that it could meet the demands of our guests and will continue to do so in the future.
In 1992 the Hotel Friese -up Anner Siet- was added, which was expanded again in 2010.
Originally the island of Norderney was inhabited by fishermen, who regarded the island as a good location for their profession. The first signs of tourism are in 1797, when Norderney was named the first seaside resort on the North Sea coast. In the beginning, however, development was slow, as the fishermen's cottages were not suitable for tourists.
During the Continental Blockade against Great Britain at the beginning of the 19th century, smuggling flourished briefly on Norderney. Especially tea, tobacco and sugar were very popular goods, which were not always legally available at that time.
Bu as of 1860, tourism has been in full swing on Norderney and since then Norderney has been a popular holiday destination for Germans. Norderney is now a destination with a wide range of attractions for all ages and was visited by over 400,000 guests in 2007. If you are interested in our history or that of Norderney, please do not hesitate to contact us or our employees.