A hotel dating back to Malmö’s working class roots
First Hotel Jörgen Kock has deep roots in the shipbuilding and industrial city of Malmö. The building in which the hotel is located was built in the 1960s, and was intended to provide overnight accommodation for the workers at the Kockums Mekaniska Verkstad shipyard.
While it has since been demolished, the Kockums Crane, was long a well-known landmark that soared above the harbour of Malmö. The crane was clearly visible from both land and sea, and of course also from the worker’s residence.
The original rooms were equipped with a small kitchenette, and one can still see the old laundry chutes on the hotel floor plan.
In 1977, the Kockums worker’s residence was shuttered and the building was renovated to become a proper hotel. The hotel was initially run by the well-known company Sarakedjan, later Reso, under the name Hotell Winn.
Twenty years later, in 1997, First Hotels took over the operation and the hotel was renamed First Hotel Jörgen Kock. The name honours the medieval coin master and mayor of Malmö. Jörgen Kock was a close friend of the Danish king and played a major role in Denmark's collaboration with Gustav Vasa.
The hotel bears no trace (aside from its name) of the coin master-mayor nor of Gustav Vasa, but for the city of Malmö has much to offer visitors with an interest in history.
According to sources, Malmö was founded as a small church village in the 12th century, on the spot where Triangeln is located today. During the 13th century, a town took shape along the coast, and this new hamlet assumed the church village's name. The oldest buildings in the city are St Petri Church and the Tunnel Complex on Adelgatan, which date from the 13th and 14th centuries and are well worth a visit.