Once a venue where old-fashioned sports such as Indian club swinging and broadsword practice, now a bustling restaurant and bar serving up German fare, German Gymnasium has lived a long life.
The Grade II-listed building found nestled between King’s Cross and St. Pancras International stations today boasts a Grand Cafe, a restaurant serving up modern German cuisine, and a buzzy bar to boot, but once upon a time was England’s first purpose-built gymnasium.
Built in 1865 for the German Gymnastics Society, the building is now a footprint of the bustling German community there was in London, particularly in Camden, Islington and Fitzrovia, in the 19th century. The gymnasium was funded entirely by the German community in London, was designed by Edward A. Gruning, and to this day still has its original laminated wood trusses and cast iron hooks that athletes would once swing from.
Among the bygone sports of club swinging and broadsword practice, weightlifting, boxing and fencing were also practised in the gymnasium, in 1866 the venue even hosted the first indoor Olympic Games in London and hosted the games once again in 1908. The 57ft exercise hall was a pioneer for women’s exercise, providing classes for them as early as 1866 and had the entire ground floor dedicated to women’s exercise, whilst the upper floor was for men.
The site was once again used as a gym up until World War Two when it was left abandoned, sold at auction and eventually used for office spaces, storage, and as an exhibition space until 2015 when it opened as a gorgeous restaurant and bar with heaps of history.
Today, Londoners and visitors can dine at the German Gymnasium’s Grand Café on the ground floor, walk up the staircase to the Restaurant for a taste of their seasonal menu or head to the Meister Bar for some tipples and stunning views over the venue. The space blends the old and new, adorned with artwork of the founders and men and women performing exercises hung on its walls, with sleek and contemporary furnishings.
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