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From the hotel’s Chronicle

The name "Schweizerwirt" only exists since the year 1805 by owner Johann Dandl. 

Documented in rent-roll 516 from the year 1601, the building was recorded as “To the tavern on the Wim outside of the bridge in the donjon” or as “The Fuxtafern” and was part of the manor of St. Zeno Monastery in Reichenhall. 

According to an entry by the District Magistrate in Lofer court chamber in the year 1621, the building was already known as the “ANCIENT TAVERN” at the time.

Lofer

was (as a junction of important traffic routes) a place of trading and transshipment, associated with the establishment of taverns. These were fitted with horse and cattle sheds, carriage houses and hostelries.

The Fuxtafern

traced back to 1546 in the Loferer Chronicle and already known as “Schweizerwirt” in 1805 - was one of them. Especially for cattle traders from all three directions (Salzburg, Tirol, Zell/See) the inn was an important staging post. The landlord provided harness services, when one- and two-horse carriages could not make it across the mountain passes, as well as courier services.

The Schweizerwirt

Josef Dandl built the first public swimming pool at Mühlbach stream in 1892, a sensation at the time. Here, summer guests spent the night already before 1900, later also actress Hilde Kral. In 1945, soldiers of the occupying American army moved into the house for some months - the family could only access their living quarters through the “frame”.

High burden of war

1,338 military personnel were housed at the "Schweizerwirt" when the troops marched through (as a result of the Napoleonic Wars) from July 1805 to December 1806, as were 565 horses. He estimated the damage from the quartering at around 2,500 guilders when applying for compensation from the state, and the damage from looting at more than 4,900 guilders (a retired civil servant received 5 guilders at the time). Reason for the high claim: the soldiers had confiscated 600 kg of beef from the landlord, fetched and slaughtered 3 calves, 2 pigs and a goat from the stable. They had drained him of 2,000 litres of beer, 1,200 litres of South Tyrolean red wine as well as 250 litres of schnapps, pilfered 5,000 kg of oats to feed the horses and taken 20 cords of wood for their watchfires.

(Source:  Kniepass-Schriften)

1902 - The automobile race Paris-Vienna

The race also led past the "Schweizerwirt" (on the right the former annex). Fuel was available - as early as 1900 - at Stainer company. A car would come past every week or two. Fuel was then laboriously fetched from the cellar.

Corpus Christi processions

The Corpus Christi processions still put in a stop in front of the hotel every year until this day. In the 1950s it was exactly determined which landlords were to provide refreshments for the associations. The beer for the music was available at the "Schweizerwirt” or at the butcher’s. The “woman-carriers” were provided with two pairs of fresh sausages each, the gun salute shooter got a pork roast.

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