Family owned and operated since 1813, Thomas Schäfer manages the hotel with bed and breakfast feel, in the 6th generation. Peter Schäfer I. was a cooper, brewer and distiller. He arrived in Ginsheim as a journeyman and married Anna-Katharina Laubenheimer. Together they laid the foundation of today’s estate by building an agricultural and gastronomical business.
Peter Schäfer I. built Hotel Peter Schäfer in 1813, which then included a brewery and schnapps distillery.
Upon quitting agriculture in 1964, Peter Schäfer V. with his wife and three kids focused on developing a bed and breakfast business. Together they built Hotel Peter Schäfer with a great deal of commitment and a lot of love for detail.
Today the hotel presents itself as a unqiue and authentic German bed and breakfast for the sophisticated guest.
During the French Revolution Napoleon occupied the greatest German fortress, Mainz (french: Mayence). The French soon moved their army across the river to besiege the small cities on the right bank, to Ginsheim. Peter Schäfer I. provided the French army with home-brewed beer, schnaps and food. As a reward he was given ownership of the island. He called it Schäfersaue.
Hotel Peter Schäfer is located directly on the Altrhein river with a view to Nonnenaue, formerly “Schäfersaue”.
The city of Ginsheim was founded in the time of the Francs. It was first mentioned in a document under the name „Gennesheim“ at the monastry in Fulda in the year 785. Artefacts that were found in Ginsheim also provide proof that the Romans had lived there in pre-Christian times.
Ginsheim presents itself as a local recreational area with its idyllic location on the Altrhein river and its close proximity to other scenic Rhein islands such as Langenau, Nonnenau and Rabenwörth.
The bed and breakfast style hotel is located on the idyllic Altrhein river, while being close to all Rhein-Main metropoles such as Mainz, Frankfurt am Main and the state’s capital of Wiesbaden, that can be reached within 20 minutes by car or public transportation systems.
Mainz is a mecca of architecture in the Rhein-Main area. We recommend to visit the Dome St Martin in Mainz, that took a few centuries to be built. The sacred building shows elements of Romaticism, Gothic and Baroque.
Both of our boading houses are located in close proximity to our hotel and restaurant, directly on the Altrhein river.
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