Die Jugendherberge - Eine Zeitreise in Bildern (Unser Bayreuth)

Video edited with AI. Swutz and Dominik visit Nadine Bock, the manager of the youth hostel, in July 2026. The History of the Bayreuth Youth Hostel – From a 1970s Classic to an Architectural Showpiece Anyone who grew up in Bayreuth or has welcomed guests from all over the world in recent decades knows it: the youth hostel at Kreuzsteinbad. For many years, it was the go-to place for school classes, youth groups, and families seeking affordable accommodation – and it remains an integral part of the city's history. The Beginnings The original youth hostel was built in the 1970s on Universitätsstraße – directly between the Kreuzsteinbad and the then-young University of Bayreuth. The location was deliberately chosen: quiet, yet close to the city center and ideal for sports, cultural activities, and school trips. The building reflected the spirit of the times: functional, robust, and designed for large groups. Shared bathrooms in the hallways, multi-bed rooms, and simple common rooms characterized the daily lives of many generations of guests. The legendary bowling alley Many former visitors have particularly fond memories of the hostel's own bowling alley. For decades, it was a standard feature of the youth hostel and, along with the disco, billiards, home cinema, and games rooms, a popular meeting place in the evenings. School groups, in particular, often spent convivial hours there after their excursions. Many Bayreuth residents still remember competitions on the bowling alley or long evenings in the common room. The years of change Over time, however, the building increasingly failed to meet the expectations of modern travelers. Shared showers, cramped rooms, and the now-aging architecture made it clear that a fundamental renovation was necessary. Planning for a completely new building was already underway in the mid-2010s. An extraordinary new building The new youth hostel finally opened in 2017 – right next to the original building. Designed by the architectural firm LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture), a striking Y-shaped building with extensive use of wood, glass, and open communal areas was constructed. The old building was subsequently demolished. With approximately 180 beds in 45 rooms, the new hostel follows a completely different concept than its predecessor. Spacious common areas, seminar rooms, sports facilities, and modern rooms replace the traditional dormitories of previous decades. Bavaria's First Inclusive Youth Hostel The concept of the new facility is particularly noteworthy: it was designed as Bavaria's first inclusive youth hostel. Accessibility, shared travel for people with and without disabilities, and open meeting spaces are central to its design. As a result, the Bayreuth youth hostel is now considered a model project nationwide. A Piece of Bayreuth's History Even though the futuristic new building has received numerous architectural awards and acclaim, many Bayreuth residents look back on the old youth hostel with a touch of nostalgia. The brown hallways, the shared rooms, the bowling alley, and countless school trips are an integral part of many people's youth. The Bayreuth Youth Hostel thus impressively demonstrates how an institution could evolve within roughly five decades from a functional group accommodation of the 1970s into a modern international meeting center – without losing sight of its original purpose: bringing people from all over the world together. According to historical city chronicles, the first Bayreuth youth hostel opened on Stuckberg in 1927. This is explicitly mentioned in the city history of Bayreuth: "In 1927, the first youth hostel was opened on Stuckberg." The building, now known as the Stuckberg Reservists' Home, is indeed remembered by many older Bayreuth residents as the city's first youth hostel. After its time as a youth hostel, it was used for other purposes and eventually became the property of the Reservists' Association. The chronological order of Bayreuth's youth hostels is therefore likely as follows: 1927: First youth hostel at Stuckberg (today's reservists' home). 1975: Construction of a new youth hostel on Universitätsstraße next to the Kreuzsteinbad swimming pool. 2017: Opening of the current new building on the same site.