The scepter in Mittenwald's Gasthaus Alpenrose has been handed over: Josef follows Josef

Created: 05/21/2022, 05:45 am

By: Josef Hornsteiner

The future personified: Josef and Tina Zunterer with their daughter Marlene in front of the portraits of their great-grandparents hanging above the regulars' table.

The young innkeepers also want to run the Alpenrose in the spirit of the previous innkeeper Sepp Zunterer (small photo above).

© Josef Hornsteiner

The traditional Mittenwald inn Alpenrose on the Obermarkt remains firmly in the hands of the family.

Josef Zunterer junior is now the fourth generation to run the business.

Mittenwald – For the fourth time in the family history of the Zunterers, a Josef hands over the scepter to his son Josef.

They all continue the success story that began in 1926 with the purchase of the Alpenrose by Josef Zunterer (Bichler), and which his great-grandson Josef Zunterer is now continuing in the fourth generation.

The traditional inn on Mittenwald's Obermarkt has always been a meeting place, where regulars' tables and clubs have been coming and going for almost 100 years.

The flags of the costumers and veterans are kept there.

A hub of conviviality and history, where the Queen of England once stayed and monks served beer.

On May 1, 2022, nothing less than his lifelong dream came true for Zunterer junior.

On that day, by taking over the company, he achieved the goal he had in mind since he was a teenager.

Zunterer simply carries the host gene.

Even as a schoolboy, it was clear to the 1979 class that they wanted to follow in the footsteps of their father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

He completed his apprenticeship as a chef with Siegried Gallus in the Altmühltal.

"I wanted to leave home," says Zunterer.

Because learning in the parental company is not the same as outside.

And he was right.

Josef Zunterer junior got around a lot as a cook

From then on he changed employers almost every year in order to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

This was followed by positions at the Hotel Post in Partenkirchen, where his father had already learned the trade of cook.

Zunterer junior moved to Hamburg in 1998 as a young chef in the renowned fish restaurant Deichgraf.

He rarely got homesick there because his friends visited him regularly.

As “Demi Chef de Partie” he conjured up dishes for celebrities at the Bayerischer Hof in Munich.

In the Seefeld Sportcafé Sailer he took over the position of head chef for the first time, then headed the crew at the Samnauner Hof in Switzerland and later at the Inntalerhof in Mösern.

During a short detour for two seasons to the restaurants of the Seefeld Rosshütte, he met the love of his life, Tina, the waiter.

They married in 2013 and gave birth to daughter Marlene in 2014.

A time in which he said goodbye to frequent travel.

For several years he worked in field service in food distributors such as "Neurauterfrisch" and Endres in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Five years ago he returned to Mittenwald - to the homestead where it all began.

Zunterer has been in charge of the kitchen at the Alpenrose since 2017.

He has been running the family business himself since May 1st - all 38 employees have remained loyal to him, which makes him particularly proud, as does his regular guests: the "Tuesday regulars' table" just celebrated its 50th anniversary this week.

The first generation: (from left) Rosl Zunterer (née Hornsteiner), Josef Zunterer junior and Josef Zunterer with Schampi the dog.

© Private

Not much has changed in the decades of "Oimroas", house number 1 on the Obermarkt.

And that's good.

Guests and locals alike appreciate the rustic, old Bavarian ambience with honest, home-style cooking.

No one knows how long the Alpenrose has been an inn.

Only community archivist Helmut Klinner brought some light into the darkness when he had intensively searched for clues years ago.

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Riddles about the question of how long the Alpenrose has been an inn

The inn was probably built during a building wave in the first half of the 15th century.

The house chapel on the first floor is exceptional and has always caused speculation.

"It is occasionally said that in earlier times the house housed a monastery that was run by the monks who lived there to look after pilgrims passing through," says Klinner.

Nothing can be found in the sources about this.

A document dated July 22, 1486 confirms that the building was owned by the Andechs monastery.

Abbot Andräas sold it to Hans and Anna Schlecht from Matrei for 650 guilders.

Whether the previous owner, "old Hans Vasser", built the house, "is unclear," says Klinner.

After the death of Schlecht in 1495, no trace of the subsequent owners was lost.

It was not until 1772 that Anton Jais and Anna, nee Zwerger, were mentioned by name as owners.

But it must have been a residential building back then - the Alpenrose was only temporarily referred to as "Zur Ettaler Bierhalle", "which suggests a tavern", says Klinner.

The archivist believes that the rooms were only rented out at the end of the 19th century.

When many travelers stayed in Mittenwald for the Passion Play in Oberammergau - even the English Queen.

The name Alpenrose was mentioned for the first time in 1896, and in 1914 the innkeeper Ludwig Schweiger ran a restaurant there.

Change of management to the third generation: Josef (left) and Hilde Zunterer handed over to their son Josef in 1989.

Daughter Barbara (r.) remains managing director.

© Merkur Archive

In 1926, the "Oimroas" became the property of the Zunterer family.

At that time, Franz Hornsteiner (Saghalm) sold the house to his niece Rosl, who in turn was married to Josef Zunterer (Bichler).

He managed the fortunes until 1957, when he handed it over to his son Josef Zunterer.

Together with his wife Hildegard, he rebuilt the inn in 1960, as it still looks today.

In 1989 the next Josef Zunterer came to the helm, who successfully continued the family business together with his sister Barbara Ostler.

For months now, the senior has been preparing for the changeover to the fourth generation.

Zunterer junior cannot thank his father often enough, as well as Mandy Rogal and Barbara Ostler for giving him such a healthy and flourishing business.

Together with his wife Tina, he wants to continue the Zunterers' recipe for success.

"Without her, I wouldn't have taken on this challenge at all," he says.

His father will now take care of his warmblood breeding, carriage rides and his Paulaner Oktoberfest team.

The change of hosts is only celebrated after the stress of the summer season - the official opening ceremony is to follow at the end of October.