СОЦІАЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНІ ПЕРЕДУМОВИ ВИНИКНЕННЯ МОЛОДІЖНИХ ХОСТЕЛІВ У НІМЕЧЧИНІ НА ПОЧАТКУ XX СТОРІЧЧЯ

The article explores the history of the emergence of the first youth hostel. It analyzes the influence of social, economic, and cultural factors on the formation of youth hostels. The transformation of German society, which created the prerequisites for the emergence of new forms of temporary accommodation, is highlighted. The study traces the trends in the development of physical education, active recreation, and affordable tourism in German society. The reflection of these trends is evident in cultural and ideological movements that contributed to the popularization of hiking tourism. These movements served as a prerequisite for the formation of the concept of youth hostels. The process of shaping Richard Schirrmann’s worldview is examined, along with an analysis of his motives that underpinned the creation of the youth hostel. The opening of the first hostel in Altena and its architectural and spatial solutions are also highlighted. In the process of researching the history of the emergence of hostels, well-known theses emerge that shape the general picture of events: the German educator Richard Schirrmann was the first to propose the idea of a youth hostel in 1909. This happened after he led a hike with his students and was caught in a storm and thunderstorm. He set up the first experimental hostel in a school, and later, in 1912, he opened the first youth hostel in Altena Castle. Subsequently, he founded the German Youth Hostel Association – Deutsches Jugendherbergswerk (DJH). Schirrmann’s idea was highly successful: the network of youth hostels quickly spread throughout Germany, the youth hostel movement crossed Germany’s borders in the 1920s, and by 1933, more than 2,000 hostels were operating in the country. However, understanding the modern concept of a hostel, which involves providing accommodation in shared dormitory-style rooms, raises a number of questions for a contemporary observer who views this history through the lens of today’s perceptions. How are hiking trips connected to hostels? Why was a simple schoolteacher, rather than state or commercial structures that would seemingly benefit financially from such an initiative, the one to create the first youth hostel? What socio-economic factors contributed to the mass spread of youth hostels in Germany and later worldwide? Answering these questions requires delving into the context of Germany in the 19th and early 20th centuries and analyzing the historical, economic, and social challenges that shaped these developments.