The history of youth hostels

The concept of a youth hostel has its roots in Germany. The concept was developed as a result of an 'accident' that happened and a need that came up, all in one night. It was during one stormy night in August of 1909 when a German teacher named Richard Schirrman and his students were caught in a violent thunderstorm during a trip. Fortunately, a farmer allowed them to sleep in his barn.

However, Schirrman could not sleep that night because he was struck with the idea that places needed to be built to provide affordable and safe overnight accommodations for students. In 1910, the German teacher published an essay entitled 'Voksschuelerherbergen' ('elementary school pupil lodgings') in the Cologne newspaper. After people read the essay, donations started to pour in, and in 1912, the first youth hostel was built in Altenia Castle in Germany. However, it did not stop there. This is because more youth hostels were built not only in Germany but in other countries as well, including The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Norway.

In 1932, Amsterdam played an important role with regard to youth hostels, as it played host to the creation of the International Youth Hostel Foundation (IYFH), which now has a membership of about 65 countries. Nowadays, there are also quite a number of youth hostels in Amsterdam where students are provided with affordable and comfortable accommodations.

Some innovations are developed as a result of both an 'accident' and a need. One example of such is the concept of the youth hostel, which was discovered during one stormy night when a teacher and his students needed to find accommodations. As a result, thousands of youth hostels spread across 65 countries now provide safe and affordable accommodations to students that protect them from the 'storm.'