Our Story

How it all began

Our hotel, formerly known as the guesthouse “Zum Ochsen,” traces its origins back to the even older “Roter Ochse,” one of the earliest inns in the city.

It was first mentioned in historical records in 1231 and looks back on a long and eventful history spanning many centuries.

The inn owed its name to the fact that cattle markets were once held in the square in front of it.

In those days, the “Roter Ochse,” as it was called at the time, belonged to and was run by the butchers’ guild, which played an important role among Würzburg’s guilds.

How it came into their possession is told in a local legend.

A Würzburg butcher returning home from the countryside once encountered a group of ruffians in the forest who had abducted a noble young lady from her castle. The brave butcher succeeded in freeing her. At her request, he brought her to Würzburg and took her to the inn “Zum Ochsen.” Overjoyed at her rescue, she immediately purchased the inn and, in gratitude, gifted it to the butchers’ guild.

In the past

On the night of March 16th 1945 Würzburg was bombed. Within a few minutes British planes turned the city into an inferno. As the last fires died out after three days, only seven buildings were still intact in the old city – the most devastating destruction after Dresden and Pforzheim.

Traces of the war were still visible in Würzburg even in 1952. Due to the massive damage the furniture store in front of the inn had to be completely torn down. The “Zum Ochsen” used the remaining property of the torn furniture store to slightly expand.

Current day

The former “Zum Ochsen” inn now is owned by the Mohr family since 1991. After extensive renovations and modernizations under the direction of Franz Mohr (decd. 2017) the Hotel Residence opened its gates in 1992.