The Hotel Goldener Anker is home to one of the oldest inns in Saalfeld. Since the 16th century, today's restaurant "Zur Güldenden Gans" has hosted many well-known personalities. Emperor Charles V and Elector Johann Friedrich I of Saxony, among others, spent the night here. From the 18th to the 19th century, the Saxon post office was located in this building. The innkeepers were also postmasters.

In the late 19th century, the restaurant was closed. For 20 years, the building housed a hardware store. A tenant then re-established the inn. The building was later converted into a hotel. The neighboring building was adapted and remodeled. From 1930, a butcher's shop, the Ankerschenke and the Kurfürtsenkeller opened. After extensive restoration work in 1994, the inn tradition was continued with an upscale hotel and restaurant business.