Astralis Hotel Domizil Walldorf

Johann Jakob Astor

A self-made man from Walldorf

Born 1763 in Walldorf, died 1848 in New York

Born back in 1763 in Walldorf, which was at that time part of the Electoral Palatinate, the 16-year old Johann Jakob Astor, son of a poor butcher, emigrated to the "New World" to be with his brother, Johann Heinrich, in New York. Interrupted by a two-year stay with his brother Georg Peter in London, he finally reached the USA in the spring of 1784.
With great commitment, good fortune and audacity, he pursued a career in the fur industry with entrepreneurial talent. In 1811 he founded, in what today is the state of Oregon, the commercial settlement "Fort Astor", which developed into Astoria, the oldest town in the west of the USA. Astoria has been the twin town of Walldorf since 1963.

The "self-made man" made millions of dollars through real estate speculation and directed a company empire that operated across the world. Global commerce and global economy will forever go hand-in-hand with the shipping company owner Astor. 
The internationally known company flag with a red "A" on a white background flew from the masts of his tall ships.
Upon his death in 1848, the financial mogul left an estate of over 20 million dollars. Astor left money in his will to build the Astor Library in New York for the general public (which in 1895 later became part of the "New York Public Library"), and the "Astorhaus" for the poor as a thank you to his hometown of Walldorf. Both organisations were inaugurated in 1854. 
Today, the Astorhaus accommodates a museum and one of the town's after school centres. Astor's legacy lives on in the "Astor-Stift" with its residential and non-residential care services for the older generations.

The names "Astor" and "Astoria" still have a good ring to them today throughout the world. The hotel "Waldorf=Astoria" in New York is world-famous and can be traced back to Johann Jakob Astor's great grandsons John Jacob Astor IV. and William Waldorf Astor. John Jacob IV. was the most prominent passenger of the Titanic that sunk with him onboard on 15th April, 1912.

Walldorf can be found on many menus too – thanks to the delicious "Wal(l)dorf Salad", that was created in the kitchen of the "Waldorf=Astoria" by head chef, Oscar Tschirky.