Wistful farewell to the Altes Bad in Kreuth: landlady hands over to well-known hotelier

Created: 07/01/2023, 08:00

By: Christina Jachert-Maier

Landlady Katrin Engelmann will open the Altes Bad inn for her guests for the last time on Sunday, January 8th.

She has terminated the lease with the ducal family.

© Steffen Gerber

With a dose of melancholy, landlady Katrin Engelmann says goodbye to the Altes Bad inn in Wildbad Kreuth.

Corona and the lack of staff were too much in the end.

Now Korbinian Kohler takes over.

Wildbad Kreuth

– The decision was not easy for Katrin Engelmann (57).

"We've made a great name for ourselves, have great food and a great house," says the landlady about her time as tenant of the Altes Bad inn.

This Sunday, January 8th, will be her last time in the kitchen.

Her lease with the ducal family ends at the end of January.

Actually, he should have run for 15 years.

But Engelmann took the opportunity to leave the company early after five years.

The burden was just too great.

"Without enough staff, it just can't be done," says the landlady.

Engelmann only took over the inn in 2018

Engelmann took over the traditional house - it was first mentioned in writing in 1511 as a bathhouse built by Tegernsee monks - in May 2018 as the successor to Johanna and Axel Winkelmann.

She sees her promise from back then to create a good place for guests and locals fulfilled: "We have succeeded in creating a good Bavarian inn."

Corona lockdowns: New beginnings came at an unfortunate time

Nobody had to tell the new tenant, a passionate hunter, what suits this special place.

For many years she managed the ducal fish farm Wildbad Kreuth together with fisherman Michael Ostermeier.

"I'm at home here," says Engelmann.

Their concept fitted the history, but the new beginning came at an unfortunate time.

It usually takes four or five years to break even after a start, says Engelmann.

“But we had Corona twice then.” The state paid money to bridge the lockdown, but now wants it back.

The landlady says she didn't have the time to raise money with the business: "The repayments really hurt us." Especially since the guests only dared to return to the restaurants after the lockdown.

No staff: "It was a double burden for all of us"

But all of that might still have been manageable.

"The be-all and end-all is the staff," says Engelmann.

On a good day, a good dozen people need them to run the business.

The landlady had to make do with four or five.

"It was a double burden for all of us," she remembers the 2022 season. It started early because the weather was nice in February.

Worked through until October.

"After that we were all exhausted."

Engelmann pulled the ripcord because "it also makes no economic sense".

It takes 30,000 liters of heating oil per year to heat the historic property, she cooks with gas, plus the repayments and the stress: Engelmann is getting out.

Korbinian Kohler exercises the right of first lease for Altes Bad

Entrepreneur and hotelier Korbinian Kohler will join.

For him, the commitment is literally obvious.

Since April 2021, the ducal family company Wildbad Kreuth Familien GmbH&Co.KG has leased large parts of Wildbad Kreuth to him.

The core object is the magnificent main building, which Kohler wants to turn into a world-class mental retreat.

Kohler's contract provides for a leasehold right for the Altes Bad inn, which he now exercises.

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Baron Andreas von Maltzan, managing director of the ducal society, comes in very handy.

"From May 1st, we look forward to welcoming the Wildbad Kreuth accommodation company as a new tenant," Maltzan said in writing.

The restaurant should continue to be continued with traditional Bavarian food.

Altes Bad is to be continued as a down-to-earth, Bavarian restaurant

Behind the company is Kohler, who just wants to spruce up the historic house a little before it reopens.

"We want to continue it in this style as a down-to-earth, Bavarian, well-kept restaurant," explains Kohler.

Only one thing will change: the inn will also be open in the evenings in the future, not just during the day as before.

Discussions between the current landlady and the new tenant have already taken place.

Engelmann is happy to be able to get out in winter.

And convinced that the historic house is in good hands: "It will remain a gem."

Kohler wants to open a pop-up hotel in the main building in Wildbad Kreuth

In the spring, Korbinian Kohler will also reopen the pop-up hotel in the main building.

In order to keep the old walls alive, the hotelier offers simple rooms in summer, which are often used by hikers.

In the meantime, he had also made the rooms available to Ukraine refugees from March 2022.

The pop-up lodge is intended to bridge the time until the major conversion of the property into a luxurious mental retreat begins.

"Due to all the circumstances, we have a delay of at least a year," reports Kohler.

He continues to plan for the big hit and hopes to start construction in 2024.

Contract with luxury caterer Ulrich Dahlmann has expired

The two-year contract with luxury caterer Ulrich Dahlmann, who marketed rooms in Wildbad Kreuth for festivities, has expired.

However, the representative rooms such as the covered whey hall and the ballroom can still be rented out for events, and the caterer can be chosen freely.

There were no differences with Dahlmann, Kohler assures: "But we wanted to open the offer to everyone now."

jm