The Place
‘Do what Gustav Mahler did’ is the motto of Gasthof Fottinger, a 19thC hotel which capitalizes on the ‘Mahler connection’. Inside, the large, open-plan lobby is a display case of Mahler memorabilia including some songs, a small bust of the great man and a copy of his 3rd Symphony. He wrote this, along with the 2nd Symphony, in a small summer cabin he put up by the lake. That was back in 1893-96 and he was visited by his friend, the conductor Bruno Walter, who arrived by steamer. These boats still ferry people around the lake and the garden is still used for concerts and musical evenings. The flowery meadows which were there in the composer’s day are now covered by caravans. That is the drawback to staying here. The hotel is right on the lake but views from the green-shuttered windows are blotted by a caravan park at its busiest in July and August. Otherwise, the bedrooms are all generously-sized, with white walls and modern pine furniture: functional to some, anonymous to others.
The restaurant is similarly expansive, with a rustic look thanks to antlers and the brown colour-scheme. Meat is a speciality, since the butcher’s shop has been part of the hotel since 1907.
There is also a self-catering cabin right on the lakefront, with an open fireplace and a terrace, which sleeps up to four people.