In the Casinogasse there was the so-called St. Goar’s ‚Casino Society‘ hers Winter residence. The architecture of the house is remarkable, as the Casino Street is lined with buildings. The Casino Society, founded in 1815, included manufacturers, merchants, officers, high-ranking officials, and priests. The membership fluctuated between thirty and fifty. Meetings were held for entertainment – balls and feasts were organized, concerts were given, and plays were performed. Entrance fees were high; part of the proceeds was donated to support the poor in St. Goar. In the 19th century, the Casino Society determined the cultural life of St. Goar. World War I ended the great era of the elite society, which however continued until 1950.
The first pharmacy of St. Goar was located in the house of the hotel ‚Silberne Rose‘ – the adjacent street today still bears the name Apothekenstraße. „Here the poet Ferdinand Freiligrath settled in May 1842 in the face of the Lurleifelsen. In his wonderfully located poet’s retreat, called Ihlium, he often received visits from friends and acquaintances who used a Rhine cruise to stop at Freiligrath’s hospitable home for refreshments and to make excursions in the surrounding area. The poets who stayed there in the summer of 1843 included Geibel, Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Justinus Kerner, Kinkel and others; among them was the Danish March poet Hans Christian Andersen, the famous author of the novels that are also widely read in Germany.”