Traditional Baltic Sea hotel with gold accents for its anniversary

Cuba's head of state Fidel Castro has stayed here and Helmut Schmidt has also signed the guest book - the Hotel Neptun, a place of longing for decades and a landmark of Rostock's seaside resort Warnemünde, is celebrating its 55th anniversary in June. To mark the occasion, the elegant building has now been decorated in gleaming gold.

According to the hotel operators, 55 balconies in golden garb are a reminder that the traditional hotel was inaugurated in 1971. According to the information provided, the artist behind the campaign is Joerg Waehner. Last year, he already gave the Mies van der Rohe Haus Berlin in Berlin a golden glow with rescue foil. The hotel has reportedly already welcomed over nine million guests from more than 120 countries during its existence.

The Stasi took a close look

For GDR citizens, a stay in the Swedish-built building with its 19 floors was mostly a dream. In the first 20 years, guests were mainly "deserving workers" loyal to the state who paid 300 GDR marks per week.

The fact that West German celebrities also came was probably one of the main reasons why the Stasi developed a particular interest in the Neptune. According to the Stasi Records Office in Rostock, it is known that around 250 unofficial employees of the GDR secret service worked at the hotel from its foundation until the fall of communism.

The legendary Broiler Bar on the first floor still exudes the charm of earlier times in terms of style and is always well frequented. Crispy chicken is still served there - rather unusual for a five-star hotel.