Hotellets historie

Kroen, der gav byen navn

From1649 to 2021

1649
Ikke langt fra Rødekro ligger der en by, der hedder Aabenraa – I 1649 gav Amtsmanden over Aabenraa ved navn von Winterfeldt, sin skytte Nis tilladelse til at opføre en ny krobygning ved Broen over Rødeå og lånte ham penge dertil.

Broen, Rødebro, har sikkert haft en vis strategisk betydning langs Hærvejen, og det var derfor et naturligt sted at opføre en kro.

Skæbnen ville, at amtsmandens ugifte kokkepige ventede en glædelig begivenhed – Det gav parikel overfor sognepræsten, da pigen ikke ville opgive navnet på faderen. Nis giftede sig med pigen, så alt ordnede sig.

The inn was naturally the name Red-Inn.

1685
I 1685 sker der et mord på kroen. Ved et bryllup blev en mand ved navn Peter Lassen fra Skrydstrup dræbt af Peter Hørlyk. Det eneste øjenvidne var en Maren Hansdatter, der ved brylluppet havde siddet i ”Æ Pissel”, medens der opstod tumult i brudekammeret. Da hun skyndte sig derind, havde hun set Peter Hørlyk lange ud efter Peter Lassen, der segnede om, medens han stønnede: ”Jeg er stukket”.

Peter Hørlyk ended up at the gallows on Mjøls Mark.

Several who from time to time’ve been at the inn, you can tell about strange noises at night – creaking as the doors are not lubricated and floorboards walked easily, and the explanation for this is probably that it is Peter Hørlyks restless soul who shall visit.

1740
The next time we hear about the inn in 1740, where it is owned by the bailiff Andreas Lund from Rødding. At present belongs to a part of land to the inn, but the main income comes from kroholdet.

Kroejerne, however, endeavor to cultivate heath land during this period.

Andreas Lund also had big problems with the inn’s supplies of beer and spirits, the citizens of Aabenraa had a monopoly. They guarded jealously their rights and oversaw Andreas Lund, actually both could brew and burn.

It is in his time first time we hear that the inn is named after Rothe Brück – Rother Krug (Red-Inn).

1764
I året 1764 sælges kroen til Christian Hansen Møller fra Blans Mølle, og i beretningerne fra hans tid hører vi lidt om datidens læderjakker, der huserede slemt omkring kroen og generede de vejfarende, som benyttede Hærvejen. Da hertugen af Württemberg i marts 1784 skulle fra Haderslev til sydligere himmelstrøg, blev han og hele hans følge generet af de unge karle, der opholdt sig ved Røde Kro. Han blev direkte afpresset store penge, og det kom der en retssag ud af. I klageskriftet til amtmanden i Aabenraa, den høj- og velbårne von Schmettow, betegnedes de unge karle som værre end ”die Banditten in dem bekannten Italien”

1804
Christian Hansen Møller deliver in 1804 the inn to his son Christian Møller, who died in 1812. He left behind a son (8 years) who in 1829 took over the inn after her mother.

This son is the later Christian Hansen Møller, who is best known as the Counsellor Moller. This instituted a scholarship, which Rise parish reaped the benefit.

1844
In 1844 sells Christian Moller to Jacob Wohlenberg from Holstein for 5000 Rdl. with half the payment.

1844
In 1844 sells Christian Moller to Jacob Wohlenberg from Holstein for 5000 Rdl. with half the payment.

In 1854 travels Jacob Wohlenberg and his wife Dorothea to the US to visit five of their ten children. Wohlenbergs son Jacob Friedrich Thomas Wohlenberg assumes the inn for 6400 Rdl.

I Wohlenbergernes tid gik det store nationale opbrud hen over Sønderjylland, og Røde-Kros ejere har utvivlsomt været tysksindede. I den sidste Wohlenbergske tid oprandt en storhedstid for kroen, idet den nordslesvigske længdebane da blev fuldført og en jernbanestation blev anlagt i kroens nærhed.

1877
Wohlenberg sell the inn to the brothers steenholdt from Ravsted who are sons of the German-minded Thies steenholdt, for 3900 Mark.

1881
Wine merchant H. V. Andresen, Flensburg, buy the inn 1881 2600 Mark.

1895
Wine merchant sold in 1895 the inn for Carl Petersen. The inn was in those years a familiar concept with great search from both local and especially from that time many traveling salesmen who used the trains and made the stay at the inn.

1923
Carl Petersen’s widow sold in 1923 to Margaret and Jens Hansen, who came from Hjordkær where they had also run inn. As fate would however Jens Christian Hansen died 14 days after his son, Marius Hansen took over the operation of the Red-Inn.

Marius Hansen was in 1928 married Anna Helena Petersen and together they had two daughters, Elke and Maiken.

På det tidspunkt var kroen omgærdet af marker, hvor der blev drevet landbrug. Marius Hansen, der var landmand, ansatte en ung mand til at styre driften af landbruget, mens han selv forsøgte at drive kroen. Han var og blev dog landmand i hjertet og på sigt overtog han selv igen landbruget, mens kroen blev forpagtet ud frem til hans død i 1979.

Der blev i “anledning” af hans død foranstaltet en ordning for hans enke, så hun var sikret bopæl på kroen til sin død.

The inn has over the years the house both the grocery store, bank, dentist and union office. And during the 2nd World War, the inn’s rooms used to house the soldiers who were in the area.

1990
Efter Marius Hansens død i 1979 fortsætter Anna Hansen med at forpagte kroen ud, mens hun forsøger at sælge den. I 1990 solgte hun Røde-Kro til Henning Jørgensen, med den aftale, at hun havde livsvarig lejeret. Hun blev boende på kroen frem til 1991, hvor hun i en alder af 90 år kom på plejehjem.

Efter en gennemgribende renovering, hvor der blev bygget en ny værelsesfløj, en ny mindre sal, krostue og nye toiletter, åbnede kroen igen.

2003
In 2003 built a new contemporary kitchen, with a cellar and the required freezing and refrigeration facilities. In 2006 was built nine new rooms upstairs kitchen department, and in 2009 was made a new bar in the premises that before housed a dentist. The inn has over the years hosted many different businesses of various kinds with the dentist as the last.

2014
Røde-Kro is today a family-run company, where Ketty & Henning Jørgensen, after living at the inn, today live in the area, while their son and daughter-in-law, Erik & Winnie Jørgensen, live at Røde-Kro with their two boys, Alexander and Hjalte, who are great-great-grandchildren of Anna and Marius Hansen, as Winnie is their great-grandchild.

2016
The inn is undergoing a thorough renovation where the restaurant – the heart of the house – has been lovingly treated. With the soul of the inn in mind, it has been renovated so that the old country road inn at Hærvejen follows into the 21st century.

Likewise, Ketty & Henning Jørgensen have withdrawn and left the operation to Winnie & Erik Jørgensen.

In 2018, a major renovation of some of the rooms was carried out and the inn changed its name to Hotel Røde-Kro. The name change also means that several of the premises will be given names that refer to places in the inn's history, including Hennings Spisestue.

2021
In 2021, Winnie & Erik vacate the inn to convert their private residence on the first floor into suites to meet the demand. There were 2 suites and 1 junior suite, and in order to maintain the common thread between past and present, these are also named. The bachelor dormitory is a suite located in the part of the house where Erik lost his horns as a young man. The girls' room is the part of the house where the two girls, Elke & Maiken, had a room back in the 1940s, and the last suite is Bestes' living room, where Anna & Marius Hansen could sit and look out over the Rødekro of the time.

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