The Knappenhof, once a retreat for famous poets and painters, today offers great country inn cuisine, comfortable rooms, and air that is cool, clear, and fragrant with the smells of forests, streams and cliffs.
The Mediterranean holiday island Brač, Lake Wörthersee, and the metropolis of Vienna – locations of the hotels of hostess Helena Ramsbacher. But how does the fourth hotel, the Knappenhof in Reichenau, fit into this collection of extraordinary hotels? The answer is quite naturally because the intimate house with its 28 rooms (three of which are suites) is just as cosy as the Viennese city hotel Das Tyrol, and has a history that is just as glamorous as the hotel Schloss Seefeld on Lake Wörthersee.
As a noble spa resort of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Reichenau boasts a wealth of historic villas. With famous visitors and designers such as Crown Prince Rudolf, Heinrich von Ferstel, Nathaniel Baron Rothschild, Arthur Schnitzler and Heimito von Doderer taking an interest in Reichenau, a sense of Thomas Mann's ‘Magic Mountain’ still wafts through the town. The Knappenhof shares the unbelievably beautiful landscape that surrounds it, and it is in the nature of the Knappenhof to make guests more relaxed.
The journeys by train on the legendary Semmering route, or by car via the southern motorway, may both be comfortable, but the Rax Plateau has retained its character as a pristine mountain landscape. When the railway crossing over the Eastern Alps was built by Carl Ritter von Ghega in the 19th century, visitors were astonished by their close proximity to the wild and romantic landscape, with destinations like Höllental, Heukuppe or Preiner Gscheid becoming popular. Those who could not afford their own villa, experienced the mountain world through hotels such as the ‘Thalhof’ or the ‘Knappenhof’.
The Knappenhof was created by the man responsible for much of the development on the Rax, Camillo Kronich. He was the long-time proprietor of the Ottohaus, who pioneered ski rental to day trippers, and was a passionate mountain photographer, crowned the ‘Rax King’ by his contemporaries. While others were building huge hotels on the Semmering, Kronich opened up what would today be considered a boutique venue at the foot of his beloved mountain: the Knappenhof. A building created by a man who loved the area, allowing others to appreciate the stunning landscape.
Camillo Kronich wanted an individual establishment with the appearance of a private villa and, at the same time, a calling card for his kind of tourism: instead of the huge hotels on the Semmering, the Knappenhof offered an intimate location, providing the style-conscious bourgeoisie ‘serviced flats’ as well as a boutique hotel with a mountain backdrop. It could be a ‘summer retreat’, the perfect spot between Austria's largest cities, where some guests were accommodated for several months; people went about their normal activities, only far away from their more traditional home.
It is easy to fall in love with the surroundings, the Knappenhof’s location in the Kleinau district perfectly chosen to soak up all the beauty of the area. Guests at the Knappenhof can decide whether to relax locally or indulge in some exercise on the mountain, Helena Ramsbacher having in mind the spirit of the founding days of the hotel, mixing culinary delights with scenic delights. The cuisine centres on the immediate neighbourhood, classic dishes brought to the plate by the kitchen team under the direction of Matthias Birnbach and Martin Kaufmann. The focus is on the taste and harmony of the products, involving close cooperation with hunters, farmers and producers in the region.
At the bar, the hub of activity in the Knappenhof, fresh herbs garnish the drinks, and directly adjacent to the dining room is the Greißlerei, with its comfortable green benches, a range of delicacies awaiting you there.
The best place to enjoy a meal is on the terrace, where you can forget about time, but if you’re worried that business is being neglected, there are two seminar rooms, with small meetings (up to ten people) catered for in one, and up to 40 guests in the larger room.
A new addition at the Knappenhof is a small church, perfect for christenings, the renewal of wedding vows or various other blessings; the entire hideaway on the Rax is open for groups to celebrate undisturbed.
The Viennese Alps offer year-long beauty with the arrival of Spring heralded by an abundance of flowers in the garden. Summer is when the sun is at its strongest in the mountains, the deckchairs of the Knappenhof aligned accordingly, while Autumn is the perfect hiking season, with access to the mountains open to anyone, thanks to the cable car. If you want to enjoy the peace and quiet, you will struggle to find a better place.
The renovation of the historic hideaway can be best enjoyed in the cosiness of the rooms, with magnificent wallpaper, elegant bathrooms and legendarily comfortable beds. Fin de siècle atmosphere meets the 21st century, and there are spacious suites to book, complete with a private terrace.
The wildlife of the nearby Rax forests permeates throughout, birds and deer on draperies watching over the sleep of the residents; real fabrics instead of art prints are a matter of honour, and even the sauna never lets guests lose sight of the Rax.
