Youth hostels: history in pictures

More and more families in Germany are choosing to spend their vacations in one of the country's 556 youth hostels. They're attracted not only by the low prices, but also by the relaxed atmosphere and the possibility of meeting interesting people.

The dining hall at the Hamburg-Altona youth hostel is pictured here in 1990. Often, a dining hall alone isn't enough for all the social activities planned at many hostels. Some offer additional facilities like cafes, sports equipment, computer rooms and lounges.

Youth hostels were often set up in old castles, like this one in Oberstein Castle on the Nahe River, pictured here in 1928. During the Nazi period, the German word for youth hostels - "Jungendherbergen" - was replaced with the similar sounding "Jugendburgen," or "youth castles." These were used as ideological training camps by the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls.

A century after the idea was born, travelers now have access to over 4,000 youth hostels in 80 countries in the world.

After World War II, the original intentions behind the youth hostel concept - promoting travel, peace and intercultural understanding - came to the fore once again. The youth hostel "Auf dem Stintfang" in Hamburg, pictured here, was opened on June 1, 1953.

When teacher Richard Schirrmann developed a concept for a youth hostel while on a hiking trip with a group of students on Aug. 26, 1909, he couldn't have imagined the widespread influence it would have on travel in all corners of the world. The Altenaer School he taught at started providing makeshift accommodation for travelling youths. In 1912, a permanent hostel was established on Mount Altena in what is now the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It still exists today, and some of the original rooms are set up as a museum.

At the Thallichtenberg hostel in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, children can dress up as knights. That the hostel is located in a renovated castle makes the role play all the more realistic.

Theodor Heuss (right), Germany's president at the time, met with hostel founder Richard Schirrmann during the 50th anniversary celebration of the German Youth Hostel Association, held in 1959 on Mount Altena.

Nowadays, hostels that belong to the German Youth Hostel Association receive a standardized ranking, like hotels. They draw visitors - and stars in their ranking - with special offers and facilities like conference rooms, family activities or extra courses. The Environment Youth Hostel on the Baltic Sea peninsula Darss, pictured here, has received a rating of four stars.

This picture was taken on June 26, 1927, during the inauguration of the youth hostel in the eastern German city of Frankfurt an der Oder. At that time, some 2,000 hostels throughout Germany offered young travellers a bed in a shared room for very little money.

The Warnemuende hostel is located in a converted weather station directly on the Baltic Sea. Opened in 2001, it is more like a hotel than a youth hostel and in 2007 it was recognized with five stars - the German Youth Hostel Association's highest ranking.

Since the 1990s, urban hostels have drawn more and more backpackers. More like reasonably priced hotels than mountain lodges, they attract not only the younger crowd, but travellers of all ages who want to be close to the action but don't want to spend a lot.

It's the modern hostels in city centers that are most popular these days. This sign welcomes visitors to a hostel in Cologne, where they can get to know fellow travellers from all over the world.

The hostel in Bad Zwischenahn in the German state of Lower Saxony offers sailing lessons on the idyllic Zwischenahn Lake.

The youth hostel in Karkeln housed members of the Naval Hitler Youth, a paramilitary Nazi organization, during their special training sessions in 1939.