10. The Schneider Hotel

10. The Schneider Hotel

Hlavní třída 3

After a part of the walls around the historical heart of the town was removed, there was ample space for the grandiose construction plans of the wealthier residents. On the order of Johann Ferdinand Schneider, Josef Bayer built the first representative suburban hotel in Šumperk in 1852. He also designed the building in the form of Neo-Gothic Romanticism with a tower superstructure.

Ferdinand Schneider founded a prosperous linen business and became active in social life and in politics. In 1864, he co-founded the scientific and educational association Kosmos, to which he later donated his extensive library. This collection became the cornerstone of the first public library in the town. The Kosmos association organised educational lectures on a variety of topics, ranging from the natural sciences to history and literature. Schneider was childless and bequeathed all his property, including the prosperous hotel, to charity. His sister Marie Wichtlová was also renowned for her charitable work. She was instrumental in the founding of the town’s orphanage.