The beginnings of the Neubergerhof, the Bachergut farm estate and the life of the Reiter family

Once upon a time, as our chronicle could begin, the foundation stone for the Neubergerhof was laid in the old Bacherhof at the end of the fifties and early sixties. The Bacherhof was an old farmhouse with the adjacent stable building, which still stands today.

The small farm was managed by our grandparents Eva and Josef Reiter. The income from it was not enough for their daily life, and so Grandfather worked as a lumberjack to secure his family's livelihood. Grandmother managed the household and agriculture.

Over the years, the rooms were renovated, equipped with water and heating and rented out to guests. In winter, the Bacherhof was a popular excursion destination for the horse-drawn sleighs from Filzmoos. Thus in 1962, in addition to renting out the rooms, a snack stop was opened, which was popular with both locals and holidaymakers alike.

Soon the space in the parlour was no longer enough and the parents came up with the idea of building an Inn next to it.

At that time, it was real comfort to have bathrooms and toilets on each floor. It was a risky business to build an Inn of this size and facilities in the remote Neuberg.

Time changed very quickly back then and it was extended again in 1973. The central section was created with comfort rooms upstairs, a restaurant on the ground floor and in the basement it was already planned to have an indoor pool installed.

In 1993, our grandparents transferred the hotel and the farm with agriculture to their sons Martin and Sepp, our father and our uncle. The two dedicated men looked forward to the new challenge and thought early on what direction and what core services would be interesting for the guests in the back-end of Neuberg.

Their two wives, our mum Maria and Aunt Herta, also took their place in the hotel and have been leading the team in the background ever since. And there is one thing they are for sure - the hotel’s good souls who always have a charming smile on their lips, and are the calming influence to bring their men back down to earth should their male “building instinct” go a little too far.

Due to the location and what was already on offer, we decided to focus more on families with children, especially in the summer. In spring 1996, the WASTL Adventure Camp was created - a small Indian village in the middle of the forest where the children (and also the big kids) have fun and experience the greatest adventures as part of the daycare in the WASTL kid’s club.

The success of this justified our decision and due to the slight shift in guests, the demand for more family-friendly rooms increased. So, it came time to rebuild again and in the record time of almost 11 weeks in the spring of 2000 the middle part of the Neubergerhof was increased by one floor and new family accommodations were built. In the course of this process, the façade was also renovated and the exterior was redesigned.

In autumn 2002, a modern, computer-controlled biomass heating system was built in the rear part of the garage building, which supplies the Neubergerhof and the Bacherhof with heat.  Wood chips, which are an extremely environmentally friendly and renewable energy source from the local region, serve as heating material. The wood chips are stored in two underground silos with a total capacity of 360m3.

The extension included the construction of a spacious reception and reception area with day bar, panorama restaurant, “feel-good oasis” for spa & beauty, the WASTL Arena – a 350m² children's area on two floors with 6 metre high climbing wall, along with 17 family rooms with plenty of comfort and wonderful panoramic views into the valley.

The 1965 part of the building was completely renovated and brought up to a modern standard.

A lot has happened in the outdoor area as well - the 3D archery course and a new playground are now part of the outdoor facilities at the Neubergerhof.

Since then, we have been running the business very successfully. Guests feel very comfortable in the new, modern ambience, which, despite its size, delivers a family atmosphere.

In 2019, it was time for Herta and Sepp to say hello to their well-deserved retirement. They withdrew from the operational business and left the management to the younger Reiters. Herta still helps from time to time in accounting and financial matters, while Uncle Sepp takes care of his 6 grandchildren.

You can meet them when E-biking on the Aualm or hiking on the Sulzkaralm. Cooking, keeping fish, housework, cooking and baking, cosy evenings in front of the TV or breakfast on the sun terrace in one’s own house - this is now the everyday life that Aunt Herta and Uncle Seppi have really deserved. They now enjoy their spare time together and we wish them health and all the best.

Thank you for your work, your sweat and the years in which you have paved the way for us!

Martin and Maria are still actively supporting us, especially in the kitchen. Maria, for example, serves the wonderful pastries and especially her well-known Quark Strudel, when she is not out in the garden or taking care of the lovely flowers all around the house. Martin still works in the kitchen as nothing can take away his passion for cooking. He takes care of the meat, especially the fine ox meat from his own farm. The work on the farm and the housework goes hand in hand with Martin Jr.

Now it is up to us, Martin and Manu, Alexandra and Lars and Geli, to continue to live our parents’ and grandparents’ philosophy and to continue to make our guests happy. As such, we young Reiters also carry the Neubergerhof credo “Simply be content” in our hearts.

We hope that we too have the courage and perseverance to successfully continue to run the Neubergerhof. Because we would like to put additional plans into practice in the future, so that guests continue to feel comfortable here with us.