History
From: Goethe - Italian Journey
A little adventure:
Mittenwald, the 7th September 1786
In Walchensee I arrived at half past four. About one hour before I arrived at Walchensee I came across a little adventure: a harpist and his daughter, an eleven year old girl, walked in front of me and asked me to take the girl with me. A well-behaved and well-educated little girl, knowing already a lot about the course of the world. She pilgrimaged by foot with her mother to Maria-Einsiedel and both just wanted to begin the long journey to St.Jago de Compostella when her the mother died. All their journeys they did by foot. Last they played at Munich for the elector and twenty-one other princely persons. She entertained me quiet well. Pretty big brwon eyes, a stubborn forehead, where sometimes some folds could be seen. Her talking was very pleasant and natural, especially when she laughed out childlishly loud; however when she did not talk, it seemed like she wanted to mean something. I talked a lot with her. Her home was everywhere and she recognized everything. She asked me one time what kind of tree this was. It was a big maple. Big and very beautiful. The first one I saw on my whole journey. She told me that she wanted to go to Bolsena to the fair where I probably also wanted to go to. She said that if I will meet her there, I have to buy her a rag fair. We were both pleased about here forecast - the weather was going to be nice. Her barometer told her about the weather. The barometer was here harp. If the treble tunes up the weather will be good. And that is what he did today. I took the omen, we part with best intensions and the hope to see each other soon.
Nothing is known about the rest of her journey.She probably really did make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Campostela and didn't realize until later with whom she had been travelling Anyway she surprisingly emerged in spring 1796 at Weimar with the intension to settle down. Goethe also remembered the experience of their travel, she seemed to have impressed him. He helped her to find a chamber in a beautiful baroque house near the Frauenplan. Based on her description view from the window and her stories about a pale-pink house, we have determined that the hostel is indeed located in her former house . The house of Lieselotte Hababusch, probably the first backpacker in the world. Nothins is said about further meetings between. Remembering the good old times in Weimar and in admiration of Lieselotte's openness - "her home was everywhere" - we began here on 17th June 1996, 200 years after Lieselotte's arrival in Weimar the first Independent Youth Hostel in Germany.
History of the Hababusch Hostel
Hababusch Hostel resides in a pink building from the baroque period (est. 1770). It's front is overgrown with wild vine and the large "Mother and Child" fountain is located in the plaza in front of the door.
The interior cannot quite keep up with this idyllic setting. It was rebuilt into a student dorm in the most basic fashion in 1980 and has not been fundamentally renovated since.
We are a group of students. In 1996, we were thinking of having a hostel in Weimar. We started by taking over the dormitory and turning some of its rooms into guest rooms. The character of the "shared student apartment" is still quite prominent.
We are officially acknowledged as a "charitable society" as it is in german regulations. The goal of the society is to offer affordable accomodation for (mostly) the youth to facilitate international encounters in the city of Weimar. A night in a dorm is 10 €. The price reflects the basic standard of the building. There is no separation between genders in the bathroom and toilet room for instance and the bedrooms cannot be locked. As for the age of the building it is constructed as a half-timbered house and there are no wash-basins in the bedrooms; both of which contradict current german building and fire regulations. For this reason we are not licenced to offer more than eight beds to the public. If you need to accomodate a larger group, fancy the family-like atmosphere and will not be offended by a crack in the wall, we ask you to give us a call. It is likely we will find a solution.
Speaking of timber, at this point already we would ask you to restrict yourself with the use of fire in the house. And please smoke only in the entrance hall. The kitchen is available to all. Breakfast is not offered except for the very rare occaison.
Supermarkets, bakeries and cafés can be found around the corner.
At times we offer bycicles to rent. But in general the whole of the city stretches out within a five minute walk !
Bedsheets are 5 DM if you don't carry them with you.
A bed in a twin room is 20 DM. In a single room 25 DM.
There is no curfew. In exchange for a 20 DM deposit we hand out keycards for the front door.
Also we hold copies of the citymap available with the most interesting spots marked.
So is that and we might see you later, yours
Hababusch Hostel
