Meet your hosts - the Brettermeier family

Heart & soul of the Gartenhotel Theresia, their  "green" authentic hotel

The Gartenhotel Theresia has been run by the Brettmeier family for three generations. We and our team will do everything we can to make your stay with us an enjoyable and memorable experience. QUALITY AND INDIVIDUALITY ARE OUR SUCCESS! With our hotel's mix of art, fine dining and friendly service, we are sure that you will enjoy your time here.

After a long day out and about in the mountains, where better to relax than our spa? Float on top of the water in our outdoor pool as your gaze wanders from one summit to next. Then sweat it out in the sauna before heading down to a five-course dinner in our elegant and stylish hotel restaurant.
We look forward to you!
Your host family Brettermeier
Harald sen. & Marianne, Franz-Josef, Anna-Theresa, Harald jun. & Jaqueline.

"We love being the heart and soul of the Gartenhotel Theresia."

Brettermeier family

 

Our values and philosphy at the Gartenhotel Theresia
  • We are honest, authentic and passionate about what we do.
  • We are the third and fourth generations of our family in charge.
  • We do everything we can to ensure our guests enjoy a great stay.
  • We offer a wide range of activities for all ages and interests.
  • We believe in environmental sustainability and responsibility.
  • We use organic ingredients and produce sourced from the region.
  • We want our guests to relax and make the most of their time.
  • We have a deep respect for nature and its incredible beauty.
  • We have a passion for art on the walls, on your plate, in your glass.
 
Hosts with tradition and passion

A brief tour through the history of our family and the Gartenhotel Theresia

It was after the Second World War that Marianne Brettermeier's grandmother, Theresia Gensbichler (born in 1906), set up the Gasthof Auhof, the first inn in Hinterglemm, which would later become the Hotel Theresia. She had saved up for many years working at a dairy farm high in the mountains each summer, where she would make milk, butter and cheese - some of which she was allowed to keep and sell. 

Over the course of 14 summers spent high in the mountains (in winter she worked down in the valley as a cook, housekeeper, etc.) she built up enough money to buy some goats, pigs and later a few cows. In 1947 she then sold these and bought a piece of land near the Saalach river to realise her dream of having her own inn and guesthouse.

However, construction was completed only in 1955 since it had to be put on hold several times due to a lack of money. Theresia was a member of the only family of farmers in Hinterglemm, who owned not only a farm but also a tavern and the local inn often used to host balls and dances. But as was common at the time, all this property passed to the family's four sons - the two daughters received only a room plus a cupboard with linen, crockery, cutlery, etc. for them to use in their new home. They also had the right to stay in the family home with their brothers until the day they married. 

That meant the young Theresa lived at home with her brother Hans and his family. She would later have two children. Together with Hans she traded horses throughout the region, as far as South Tyrol (today known as Alto Adige, the northernmost region of Italy). Even back then Theresia was known for her work ethic and strong mind - despite having two children Johann, the love of her life, she never married him. Indeed, the couple never lived together. Instead, they lived separately in order to give the children the chance to grow up on both their father's farm and in the mountain hut where Theresia lived.

The couple's son, Bartholomäus, was adopted by his father so that he could assume his surname, Hasenauer, and take on the family farm. The couple's daughter, Marianne, took on the running of the tavern and 45-bed guesthouse set up by Theresia. She also inherited a piece of land from her father in the 1950s, where she built a house with her husband, Franz, a farmer's son from Jochberg near Kitzbühel in Tyrol. This house would later become the Hotel Egger (today owned and run by Frau Brettermeier's brother, Josef Egger). 

For many decades it was Theresia who continued to pull the strings in the background. Her life was full of action and pleasure, particularly the joy she got from her children and grandchildren. However, despite the success she had with her tavern and guesthouse, she was always quick to remind younger generations of the hardship and hunger the family had endured before and during the war. She remembered well the worldwide crisis after the Great Depression of 1928 and was therefore, right until her death, keen to avoid debt and wary of banks. As a result, she only invested when she knew she had enough money to do so without having to take out a loan.

Just one year after the death of her beloved Johann, Theresia passed away. The couple are buried together in the same grave. It is a fitting end for a couple who loved each other very much in life but were never able to share a home.

Both Theresia and Johann helped set up the local ski resort in Hinterglemm in 1950. Johann used wood he had received as payment in kind, while Theresia contributed her savings of 5000 Austrian shillings, a huge sum of money for her, to build the first ski lifts in the region. Even back then the couple knew how important tourism would be for the area and decided to invest early - an idea which certainly paid off.

Daughter Marianne married Franz Egger in 1954. Their daughter, also called Marianne, was born in 1955. The couple would later also have two sons: Josef (born in 1956) and Franz (born in 1966). 

Thinking ahead and investing in the future

At an age when most people would retire, the couple demolished the old tavern in 1980 and built a completely new one, the Gartenhotel Theresia, in 1981. This new hotel had 96 beds, an indoor pool and a 4.5-star rating. In the mid-1990s the couple then built the Aparthotel Hechenberg in Hinterglemm. This an apartment complex with twelve holiday flats is run by their son Franz.

His father, Franz Egger, was manager of the local ski resort for many years as well as being deputy mayor and head of the local tourism association. However, his main passion was being in his hotel, looking after his guests and sharing with them hsi beautiful region. Sadly, he died in 1999, one week before his 80th birthday. Many regular guests still miss sitting down with him for a chat about his rich life and the local community.

Marianne Junior, the granddaugter of the original hotel founder Theresia, trained for five years at the tourism school in Salzburg, including three months of work experience in Paris, and then studied social studies and business at university in Innsbruck and Graz before coming back in 1981 to her home region with her partner Harald, whom she had met while at university. She took over the running of the hotel. As a girl she had been a very keen skier with hopes of making the national ski team. A lack of time at university meant she was unable to pursue this dream despite recording impressive results in her young career, including becoming regional champion of Salzburg in giant slalom and finishing second in the renowned Toppolino race in Italy, which over the years has been won by many young skiers who would go on to become greats of the sport.

Marianne and Harald married in 1983.

In 1984 their son, Harald Junior (the creative mind in the family, who would go on to study IT design in Graz), was born. He was followed by two more children: Franz-Josef born in 1986 (who studied international business and politics in Innsbruck) and Anna-Theresa in 1993 (who followed in her mother's footsteps and attended the tourism school before going to university in Innsbruck).

Parents Harald and Marianne take great pleasure in the fact that today all three children work at and for the hotel.

On October 3rd, 2021 our oldest Harald jun. finally married his Jaqueline and therefore 6 Brettermeiers are now taking care of our guests from all over the world.

The modern history of the Gartenhotel Theresia

In the late 1980s Marianne Brettermeier-Egger and her husband took over the running of the hotel. They gave the Gartenhotel Theresia its combination of modern design and timeless tradition. Award-winning Viennese architect Gustav Pichelmann (a cousin of Herr Brettermeier) redesigned the building in 2003 and continues to make small changes and updates every autumn. The main characteristics of the hotel are plenty of wood, modern lines, lots of natural light and clever lighting. This gives the hotel a minimalist look combined with plenty of tradition and passion.

In recent years the family have invested regularly in improvements to the hotel, culminating in the Gartenhotel Theresia being awarded the  "Initiative Architektur" prize in 2010. Environmental sustainability and organic produce today form a key part of the hotel's philosophy.

Passion for aesthetics

The hotel's gallery for modern and contemporary art is both Harald Brettermeier's personal passion and a fascinating highlight open to all guests.

We take pleasure in offering our visitors from around the world a warm and genuine welcome to the Salzburg Land region. As a dear regular guest once said - "This house has a soul!". As Gustav Mahler once said: "Tradition is about passing on the fire, not worshipping the ashes."

A passion for welcoming guests

We take pride in welcoming guests with a smile and a friendly "Grüß Gott!". Get in touch if you have any questions about our hotel.