For centuries, the customs house served as an important checkpoint for border traffic and trade between Saxony and Bohemia. It was first built on this site in 1810. The customs officers who lived there monitored the movement of goods and ships to prevent smuggling.
* Current building: The current building of the Old Customs House was built in 1845 because the original customs house had either burned down or become too small.
* Loss of function: In 1929, the building lost its significance as a customs house.
* Transition to private ownership: After 1929, the former customs house stood empty and eventually became private property.
* Current use: The historic building was completely renovated and converted into a guesthouse in 1995. Further modernizations took place in 2012 and again after a change of ownership in 2022. It reopened as a guesthouse in February 2023.
* Location: It is located on the so-called "Neutral Road" (or "Old Bohemian Road"), a historic traffic route. Along this road, border stones stand for several hundred meters on both sides, underscoring the "neutrality" of the road – it belonged neither exclusively to Germany nor to the Czech Republic. Not far from the customs house in Rübenau, there is also an obelisk with inscriptions about the former German villages on the northern edge of the Komotau (Chomutov) district.
* Surroundings: The area is surrounded by forests and meadows and is very quiet, ideal for hiking and cycling. In winter, there are opportunities for cross-country skiing.
The Old Customs House is thus not only a place to stay overnight, but also a monument to the history of the Ore Mountains and the former border relations between Saxony and Bohemia.