A house with history: the Central-Hotel Kaiserhof and the Brunnenhof
A building with history and impressive architecture: the Central-Hotel Kaiserhof, located opposite Hanover’s main railway station, catches the eye with its historic façade made of Lower Franconian shell limestone and ornate decorations. However, many Hanoverians primarily associate the excellent cuisine with the historic building. A tribute to the 50th anniversary.
50 years in family hands
After several changes of ownership in its 130-year history, the Central Hotel has now been in the hands of the Rüter family for over 50 years. With the purchase at the end of the 1960s, the well-known butcher Wilhelm Rüter dared to make a new business start and at the same time laid the foundations for a respected family business. However, the hotel business itself was more of a side business for Rüter. From the very beginning, his attention was primarily focused on the gastronomic plans that he intended to realise at his new address.
The birth of the Brunnenhof
Together with the restaurateur Ekkehard Reimann and the Swiss concept consultant Paul Schenk, Rüter developed a completely new restaurant concept at the beginning of the 1970s. In April 1974, the Brunnenhof opened its doors and brought top international gastronomy to Hanover. From the very beginning, the restaurant was characterised by its high quality and refined dishes, which were strongly inspired by French cuisine at the hands of Reimann. The dishes served included ‘Mignons de veau à la crème’ or ‘Champs-Elysées’ pork medallions and ‘Coquilles St. Jaques’ scallops.
The fountain that gave it its name
The restaurant itself was named after a real fountain, whose enclosure, which still exists today, was built by Wilhelm Rüter himself. The water flowed down the shaft over six levels through the bowls made of Obernkirchen sandstone. Once at the bottom, the water flowing down fed a basin in which trout swam, which were served to guests freshly caught on request – as ‘blue trout’ or ‘miller’s trout’. The fountain quickly became the attraction of the house, which is why the view of the sandstone bowls also adorned the restaurant’s first menu.
A meeting place for everyone
The restaurant concept quickly became a great success and delighted not only international trade fair guests but also the local public. Footballers from Hannover 96, politicians from the Lower Saxony state parliament, business people from the neighbouring offices, strollers and regulars appreciated the varied and fresh cuisine at the Brunnenhof.
The next generations
After Wilhelm Rüter’s death in 2001, his son, Hermann Rüter, continued the family business from the mid-1990s with the support of his wife Birgitt. They succeeded in maintaining the special quality and asserting themselves against passing gastronomic trends and the growing competition in the city centre. With Alexander Rüter and his brother Richard, the third generation is now running the Brunnenhof with a sure instinct for the needs of guests and modern concepts – and in the spirit of their grandfather.
