Kristallnacht, Night of Crystal, also known as Night of Broken Glass — the name given to the wave of attacks done to the Jews throughout Nazi Germany and some parts of Austria on November 9-10, 1938. The attacks were carried out by non-Jewish civilians and the SA paramilitary forces. The name given to this horrid unforgettable event was derived from the countless shards of glass that littered the streets of Germany after windows of stores, establishments, schools, synagogues and other buildings owned by Jews were smashed by the attackers. The attacks resulted in the death of at least 91 Jews wile 30,000 others were imprisoned in concentration camps.
It is then very understandable as to why a certain German hotel caused a negative uproar among social media users when it used the event’s name for its spa break and placed that advertisement online.
The Kristall Sauna-Wellness Park hotel promoted its service for spa-lovers, the event coinciding with the 75th Anniversary of Kristallnacht. Its advert had included a phrase which said “”romantic Kristall Nacht evening”.
Netizens condemned and parodied the said ad saying that it was insensitive and did not stop until the hotel, which is located in Bad Klosterlausnitz, Thuringia, removed it and issued an apology via its Facebook page.
The hotel owner clarified that they frequently sued the name Kristall in their promotions but also admitted that this time the usage had reached a point where it was “insensitive and extremely inappropriate”. Hotel personnel then renamed the promo as a “long romantic night”.