My father’s memories of Ansitz Felsenheim are from the end of the 1950s. As was customary at the time, my grandfather, Othmar Kössler Sr., liked to go to the Felsenheim restaurant after church to play cards with Othmar Jr., my father, who was still a little boy at the time.

Wonderful paneled rooms, hustle and bustle, and lemonade on Sundays remain unforgettable memories for my father to this day. Even years later, the residence left an impression on Othmar Jr., the boy who helped his father paint its walls. After the restaurant closed, it stayed empty for years. But when the heiresses of the residence offered our family to buy the property, my father – a painter and gilder with a penchant for historical buildings – jumped on the opportunity with the help of my grandfather and began the renovations step by step.

In December, 1978 they succeeded in renting out the first vacation apartments. But in 1979, my grandfather, Othmar Kössler Sr., died tragically and unexpectedly before the renovations were completed. My father, then 26-year-old Othmar Jr., took over the residence and continued the renovation work. In 1983, he married Caroline,a young Dutch girl and one of his first guests.

Since then, my father Othmar and my mother Caroline have run the property with a passion that you can sense throughout the hotel, be it in their hospitality, or in the many inconspicuous but important details, the historic chests and old pictures, hunting trophies, and antique pieces of furniture, which give the hotel its charm.

My parents always saw themselves as the proud guardians of this history and created this beautiful place for you to spend time in with sensitivity and humility.