The four-star Apollofirst boutique hotel is housed in three imposing Apollolaan houses, in the elegant South district, close to the center and within walking distance of the Concertgebouw, the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Van Gogh. The Apollolaan is considered the most prestigious avenue in the city, with its magnificent old trees, its beautiful flower beds and its wide promenades. The construction of the first buildings on the avenue began in the early twenties of the last century.
Most of the buildings were built in the style of the Amsterdam School and were often decorated with ornaments by the famous Dutch urban sculptor, Hildo Krop, who lived from 1884 to 1970. Strolling through the neighborhood, you can also enjoy its many sculptures, as if we were in an open-air museum. Just around the corner from the Apollolaan is the Beethovenstraat, with nice shops and good restaurants
Long before the start of World War II, the Apollofirst Boutique Hotel originated in a building at number 123, where the Gustav Joseph family established the "Apollo House." It was a guesthouse for mostly Jewish guests of German and Austrian descent who had fled their countries due to the ever-increasing anti-Semitism.
Both the Joseph family and many of their boarding house guests were arrested by the Nazis in 1942 and transported to Auschwitz, where they all died that same year. After that, it became a German-run guesthouse until, after the bombing of Euterpestraat on November 26, 1944 (now called Gerrit van de Veenstraat), it was requisitioned by the Sicherheitsdienst. After liberation, it was used as a guesthouse by the Canadians until the summer of 1946.
The building next door at number 125 was occupied by diamond merchant Jacques Lopes Cardozo and his family. They fled to Cuba in 1942. After that, SS Sturmbahnnführer Willy Lages moved into the house until the end of the war (he was sentenced to death in 1949, which was commuted to life imprisonment in 1952). After the war, buildings 123 and 125 were merged.
Lilly Meijer, a film star from the silent film era and widow of Leopold Meijer, film producer and owner of Victoria Films, then became the proprietor of the Apollohuis guesthouse. In 1964, she was able to purchase both buildings and the guesthouse was converted into a hotel, which continued under the name Apollofirst Hotel.
After her death in 1978, the Apollofirst Hotel was purchased by Louise (Wies) Venmans. Two years later, the third building was purchased. With respect for the past and in balance with the present, the entire hotel was stylishly renovated. At a later stage, the Apollofirst Theater was born in the hotel, a picturesque, 55-seat small theater. Well-known artists enjoy performing there, and visitors from all over the world appreciate the varied programming.
Son Rick Venmans took over the management of the hotel at the right moment, and Louise herself now manages the Apollofirst Theater.
Sincere hospitality has been highly valued in this true family business for more than 40 years.
