The family Gramberg on the island of Norderney
Then and now
The history of the Hotel Friese and the Gramberg family
On Norderney for 150 years
The Gramberg family has been on Norderney for 150 years and has been in the restaurant business for just as long. It all started with the “Giftbude” café and the “Kaiserhof” hotel. These were joined by the “Wilhelmshöhe” café and the “Bremer Häuser”.
The businesses ran well until 1928 and 1932 respectively. After that, the Gramberg family bid farewell to Norderney and left the island for several years. The family spent these years in Nastätten and Nassau, where they continued to work in the catering trade.
In 1957, they returned to Norderney and Gertrud and Carl Helmuth Gramberg founded the restaurant and pub “Friesenschänke” in Heinrichstraße. A few years later, the Gramberg family and Hotel Friese crossed paths.
In 1965, the Gramberg family acquired the hotel, which was still called the “Phönix” at the time, and renamed it the Hotel Friese. Since then, the hotel has been renovated and extended several times to meet the needs of our guests and will continue to do so in the future.
In 1992 the Hotel Friese-up Anner Siet was added, which was extended again in 2010.
Hotel Friese and Friese-up AnnerSiet are currently run by Maria and Tjark Remmer-Gramberg.
Tjark Remmer is now the fifth generation of the Grambergs to work in the hospitality industry.
Anniversary celebration “Thank you for 150 years of the Gramberg family on Norderney”
It is always nice to look back into history, because the past we have experienced and lived through is important for the future. It shapes us and is part of our own identity. If you keep history and your own origins in mind, you remember the true values that need to be preserved and protected. This was the motivation for me to take a closer look at our ancestors and to pay tribute to their lives and work and document them in this anniversary publication.
The history of the island of Norderney
The island of Norderney was originally settled by fishermen who saw the island as a good location for their profession. The first signs of tourism appeared in 1797, when Norderney was named the first seaside resort on the North Sea coast. However, development was slow at first as the fishermen's houses were not suitable for tourists.
During the Continental Blockade against Great Britain at the beginning of the 19th century, smuggling briefly flourished on Norderney. Tea, tobacco and sugar in particular were very popular goods, which were not always easy to get hold of legally at that time.
Tourism has been in full swing on Norderney since 1860 at the latest and Norderney has been a popular vacation destination for Germans ever since. Today, Norderney is a destination with a wide range of offers for all age groups and accordingly, Norderney 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 staff.
Culture on Norderney
Hotel Friese - an overview
Our traditional and family-run Hotel Friese looks back on a long history. The comfortably furnished and typically Frisian hotel is just a 200 m walk from the sea and close to the shopping streets. Despite its central location, Hotel Friese is completely quiet. Our popular restaurant “Friesenschänke” is located directly in the hotel. A delicious and rich breakfast buffet awaits you every morning from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at Hotel Friese.