Stories & stories
Not to preserve the ashes,
but to keep the fire blazing.
320 years 1697 – 2017
It is not the Winterauers, the Tiefenbachers or the Pombergers who wrote the history of this house. Anyone who can look back on a 300-year tradition and also follows the family connections of this family in Gosau, Bad Goisern and even Schladming and beyond must recognize that this house is very closely linked to Austrian history and the historical conditions of the Salzkammergut. The traces of the respective owners can still be clearly seen; – The arrangement and size of the 3 individual buildings correspond exactly to the jump through 3 centuries and are therefore a reflection of events and generations.
The Gasthof Gosauschmied is therefore a part of Austrian history, an institution, so to speak, in which generations of innkeepers, emperors, kings and guests, but above all the people of Gosau themselves, have taken part. The senior manager of the house now resides in the former imperial room, but this is also entirely appropriate, as it is the constant display of endearing arrogance towards authorities and their institutions that characterizes the successful stubbornness of the owners to this day.
Celebrating a 300th anniversary may seem downright frivolous given the current economic and tourism crises. With regard to the inventiveness and creativity of the innkeeper, the firm reins of the landlady, the reliability of the employees, and the charm of the innkeeper’s daughters, the future seems to be secured for the next 300 years.
Dear Gosauer, guests and friends of the house
300 years ago, the Gosauschmied Inn was created from the “Schmiede am Strubbichl” over a construction period of around 5 years (1692 – 1697). As the last stop, so to speak, before the arduous climb to one of the most beautiful natural monuments in Austria – Lake Gosau, this house has hosted countless guests from all over the world from the very beginning. Our family chronicle goes back to 1665, when the blacksmith’s workshop was set up under the Wildenstein rule of Ischl. In addition to the fire of their food, master blacksmiths from these early years also looked after arriving guests who dared to make the extremely arduous journey to Gosau. The family relationships of the “blacksmiths and landlady” are closely linked to numerous houses in the Gosau Valley. Maurer, Jågler, Veit, Bäcken, Renner, Rennerbåd and many more are still existing houses whose daughters and sons have married into the traditional house over the centuries. The first serious step in the future of the house was made by the then owner Josef Pomberger in 1869, when he sold the entire fishing rights from the rear Gosausee to the Gosaumühle on Lake Hallstättersee to the forestry office for the equivalent of a cow.
Shortly afterwards, our Goisern “relatives” appear in the Gosauschmied premises. The name Tiefenbacher not only stands for an eloquent dynasty in the Gosau Hintertal, but also as the founder of Gosau tourism. At the turn of the century, and with the annual spa stays of the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef – God rest his soul – there was also a sense of optimism in Gosau, which was picked up by the Tiefenbacher family.
In 1907, Franz and Katharina Tiefenbacher built the half-timbered building that still exists today, the main wing of our house. The first house in the Salzkammergut with running water, it soon became a popular place to stay for Emperor Franz Josef, who used to relax here from his strenuous chamois hunts. Spoiled by their success, the Tiefenbacher couple immediately embarked on new endeavors and in 1924 built the rear hotel extension, a new stable building, a bowling alley, a bus garage (today’s hotel wing) and a restoration on the Gosausse, which is now the inn. With a lot of foresight and a sense of tourism, a bus line to the train station in Steeg-Gosau, a gas station, a trucking company and a post office were also set up on site. This first post office, also often referred to as the “Postkammerl”, was for many years the place of work of Toff’n Sepp, who was the first postmaster here. The chauffeurs employed at the time included Sommerer Leo, Bastika Ehrenfried and Josef Winterauer, Wilhelm Winterauer’s brother.
At that time, the Gosau blacksmith experienced an unprecedented upswing, which was to come to an abrupt end when Hitler came to power. The confiscation of the bus license in 1939, including all of the post office’s vehicles, and the awarding of the inn to various tenants turned the once proud inn into a heavily indebted hotel business after 1945.
Franz and Katharina Tiefenbacher, who unfortunately remained childless, adopted Wilhelm and Augustine Winterauer before the war from Katharina’s sister Josefa and Konrad Winterauer from Goisern. After 1945, the fate of the house lay in the hands of the Winterauer family. In 1953, Wilhelm and Emma Winterauer née Laserer took over the inn. The new beginning after the war was difficult, but with a lot of idealism the entire business was renovated, the restaurant and the hall were rebuilt, and modern kitchen appliances were purchased. In 1957, the former farmhouse and blacksmith’s shop was turned into a bar, which in 1969 became Upper Austria’s first discotheque. In the years that followed, the former bus garage was transformed into today’s hotel complex with an attached coffee house.
The renewed tourist boom in the 1960s and 1970s made many attractions forgotten, so that one could look to the future with good cheer and be blessed with numerous offspring. Our father’s sister, Augustine Winterauer (See Gusti) married Ehrenfried Vierthaler and received the former restoration at Lake Gosause from the Tiefenbacher dynasty.
Since 1984, it has been up to my father Reinhart and my mother Gerti to direct the history of the house. With conversions and renovations in the youth guest house, we created a secure foothold for the further course of our gastronomic activities. As a tourist necessity, but also to improve the hotel’s offerings, we set about systematically expanding our leisure facilities in 1987. Tennis court, an ice rink, swimming pool, a children’s playground and our pit-pat facility have since enriched our guests’ stay, but also the leisure activities for the Gosau population.
Since 1989, guests have also found us in the Dachstein West ski area, because with the construction of our umbrella bar in the area of the Hornspitz lifts, we created a popular meeting point for the ski-loving public. The establishment of our winter garden and the expansion of our sauna area in 1993 represent the provisional completion of the structural work in our house. His biggest dream – the in-house brewery will have to wait a while. Another dream, the reconquest of our fishing waters, has already become a small part of reality with the lease of the rear Gosausee.
2010 My parents’ last project, or the first project together, was that we remodeled our bar.
In November 2011 I took over my parents’ business.
My mother and father still help actively in the business.
My older sister Alexandra, the good soul at reception, also supports me in all situations.
2012 – 2017 we began to renovate our house. First the facade with thermal insulation, new windows, then the entrance area as well as the reception and the bar area were renewed. Our terrace also shines in new splendor.
Then we gradually started renewing our bathrooms. Where the last ones were completed in May 2017.
2015 was an important year and the next host saw the light of day. Jonas Winterauer
In 2018 our first newly renovated rooms in the inn were completed. And our garden is decorated with a small outdoor whirlpool.
2020 Since we value our employees very much, we have renovated our employee wing despite the Corona pandemic.
1665
Beginning of the family chronicle
1869
Josef Pomberger sells the fishing rights
1869
1907
Construction of the half-timbered building
1924
Construction of the rear hotel extension
1924
1953
Wilhelm and Emma Winterauer take over the Gosauschmid
1957
A bar business emerges from the servants‘ room and blacksmith’s shop
1957
1969
Opening of the first Upper Austrian discotheque
1984
Reinhart and Gerti Winterauer take over the business
1984
1987
Expansion of leisure facilities
1989
Opening of the umbrella bar in the Dachstein West ski area
1989
1993
Construction of the winter garden and expansion of the sauna area
2010
Renovation of the bar
2010
2011
Anna Winterauer takes over the Gosauschsmith
2017
Completion of the renovation
2017
2018
New outdoor whirlpool, the first newly renovated rooms are ready
2020
Renovation of our employee rooms. Furthermore, the acquisition of a property for the planned expansion of holiday apartments.
2020
2023
Renovation/opening of the apartments in Junuary 2024
