The Villa by the Bridge
The "Villa Hoheneck" was a very renowned restaurant in Holtenau, a district of Kiel, Germany. It was built in 1902/03 and extended over the years with numerous additions.
Since 1925, it was used intermittently as a restaurant.
Initially, the buildings were still operated as a farm; In 1920, however, the house was bought by a former naval scribe named Oskar Papenfuss, and since 1925 the villa has been used mainly as a restaurant (initially as a boarding house). In 1935, the business was taken over by the owner's son.
In the pre-war period, the "Hoheneck" was a popular meeting place for the Luftwaffe soldiers stationed in Holtenau, and during the war, the buildings were occupied by the XI. "Hafenschutzfottille" (harbor protection flotilla) and later used by a division of the Luftwaffe.
During the war, there were several air raid shelters below the restaurant.
After World War II, refugees and a kindergarten of the Holtenau parish were acomodated in the guest house.
After the owner was interned because of his SS membership, the restaurant operation was continued by his wife. In order to continue to operate the property, rooms were rented to "easy girls".
In 1956 the daughter of Oskar Papenfuss jr. together with her husband took over the business. Coffee and cake were once again the main offers. Both owners were enthusiastic and well-known tango dancers, who had toured all over Germany with their dance numbers in previous years, which is why tango events took place on Sunday afternoons.
A new owner took over the restaurant in 1972, and it became a popular hot spot in the following years.
When the Kiel-Canal was widened in the 1990s, part of the canal garden had to be taken away.
This was followed by several changes in the gastronomic concept and other changes of ownership, when in the beginning of 2014, the owner of the place even got the permission to demolish it, as the "Villa Hoheneck" could not run profitably due to lack of guests.
In the course of the last year (2018), something did happen - the development plan was changed, so that a residential development of the site can take place, including the old buildin. Construction began earlier this year.
