A mild summer breeze is blowing over the meadow. Sunshine lets the small waves sparkle over the lake. Clear water is an invitation to swim and boat. Around the lake the wooded slopes gently rise and the peaks of the Alps are shimmering far in the distance.
One can well imagine that already the Bolzano people in the 17th century felt at home here. At that time, the Ritten was chosen as the “place to be” for their summer retreat. Rather than a hot city and stifling air, they found a fresh breeze, chilly lakes and a magnificent landscape. Reasons why we are also enchanted by the Ritten and the Weihrerhof. And you?
However, let’s take a look at the beginning. Because the history of the Ritten didn’t actually begin with Bolzano’s high society.
The History of the Ritten
Already, even though the first inhabitants of Bolzano had discovered the plateau at 1172 meters altitude, they appreciated its favorable location. Archeological findings date the first settlements back to pre-Christian times. Fortified castles and menhirs like the Roar winding chime were found and are still evidence of the first knights.
Mons Ritanus was mentioned by name for the first time between 871 and 875 AD. The region developed rapidly thanks to its location on the old imperial road. Among other things, a hospice was founded there as early as 1200. Once again, almost 200 years later, the Ritten community appears as an independently acting community.Already 1907 the sunny plateau was made accessible by the Ritten railroad and made the arrival easier for the tourists. Meanwhile, the people of Bolzano were not the only ones to enjoy the climate, which was cooler in the summer, and the beautiful landscape. Visitors from all over the world came to visit the Ritten.
Then the commercial boom in the 1960s set many things into motion: New roads were built, villages were linked to each other and projects were forged. Also for the Pichler family.
Eleven rooms, guesthouse, bathroom
Johann Pichler bought the Unterweihrerhof in the year 1962 and bequeathed it to his son Siegfried (Friedl) and his wife Cäcilia (Cilli). Filled with passion, the two plunged into the realization of their lifelong dream: a hotel of their own directly on the banks of the clear Wolfsgrubner Lake.
Three rooms and a small inn were all they had at the beginning. Five years later, they already had eleven guest rooms. Its highlight: each room had its shower, a first on the Ritten. That year, Friedl also excavated the sump in front of the hotel and thus created the basis for the breakfast island, where you could comfortably start your day during a visit.
In the meantime, the Rittnerstrasse had also been completed. A new cable car brought guests to the Rittnerhorn and the rope way connected the plateau with Bolzano. At that time, more and more guests were staying at the Weihrerhof.
“In those days, people still danced. Frequently until the wee hours of the morning,” Cilli tells us of those swinging times. “ Today, our guests appreciate the idyll, the tranquility. Where once the focus was on socializing, today new values have moved to the forefront. Having time. Having space. To be permitted just to be. That’s the new luxury,” she adds.
When son Klaus was born in 1978, this new luxury was not yet in the o!ing. Yet, the signs were already pointing in this direction. In the year 1979, the Pichlers expanded the Unterweihrerhof. The public inn was closed three years later. More space and time for the guests.
Change of the cooking spoon and millennium
Just before the turn of the millennium, Cilli hands over the reins of the kitchen (and her collection of recipes) to Konrad Wiedenhofer. Shortly therea”er, the Weihrerhof becomes the first hotel on the Ritten to launch a wellness facility, complete with spa area and indoor pool. Unwind on the shores of the lake or enjoy one of the special treatments indoors with the hotel’s own care line made from natural active ingredients (and lake water): Anything should, may and can happen at SeaSpa. Meanwhile, the hotel counts forty beds and is handed over to Klaus and his wife Manuela a”er a major renovation. With dedication and love for nature, they continue to shape the Weihrerhof and make it increasingly sustainable.
“People love details,” says Manuela,” The special features, the subtleties, the moments of surprise, the sign of something being realized with dedication. They are looking for the love in things again, which is no longer taken for granted in a fast-moving time.”
From the garden to the kitchen, go on a journey of discovery and admire the loving decorative ideas of Manuela. A slight scent of hay and Swiss pine accompanies you everywhere in the house. Outdoors, almost pristine nature awaits you: The meadows have not been fertilized in 20 years. Bees and other insects are pleased. You can use the natural stream as a Kneipp stream. While wading through the stream, pebbles stimulate your feet. But you can also just enjoy the quiet splashing while you relax on the meadow.
Sustainable down to the last detail
The Weihrerhof has been GSTC-certified and a Green Pearls® partner since 2022. But that is not enough for the Pichlers. They still want a little more. Better or less, in terms of CO2 emissions or water consumption. They now produce 60% of their energy. Heating is provided by their own combined heat and power plant, which also generates electricity. A photovoltaic system also provides green energy, which can be used to charge e-bikes and cars.
Water is available in glass bottles. And the transport route? Zero. Water is taken directly from Rittner springs. In the kitchen, too, local and regional foods are used as much as possible, as well as for the hotel’s own cosmetics line.
During your vacation at the Weihrerhof you will receive the RittenCard free of charge. With it, you cannot only visit more than 80 museums, but also use the public transport of the Ritten without restrictions and free of charge.
Focus on what is essential
Changes are a part of life. That we all know. However, with all the innovations of the last years and decades, one thing has always been important to the Pichlers as hosts: creating a place that gives you the opportunity to completely relax. This is a matter of the heart for Klaus and Manuela. That is why, for instance, they also o!er the Data Detox Plus package, a surprise package that will invite you to venture something new and provide an antithesis to the otherwise mostly well-planned hotel vacations.
“It is about the deliberate reduction to the essentials. At times, it is precisely what is NOT there that distinguishes a house. And occasionally, it’s what’s ‘missing’ that provides space for a whole new experience. For example, where guided excursions and hikes are not o!ered, people are again spurred to plan tours with the hiking map and go exploring. The experiences you have yourself are, a”er all, those that stay.”
— Klaus Pichler
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