Traditional restaurant near Salzburg

History of the Hotel Kirchenwirt

Hotel Kirchenwirt in Puch, Salzburg province, “Tavern next to the church” and traditional restaurant near Salzburg.

The beginnings

The Kirchenwirt was mentioned as an estate around 1400 for the first time. The estate consisted of extensive fields and meadows on the plains from below the road to Urstein. Following the death of the first owner, it was divided into three equal parts between his widow and their two children. Peter Goldner then acquired the estate from them and handed it over to Pankraz Straucher and his wife Katharina.

Around 1570, the court Glannegg gave permission for the first time to sell beer and bread to wayfarers, carters and everyone travelling the country in those days. The next owner was skipper Matthäus Hollweger who bought wine in the Austrian area Wachau on his travels between Vienna and Budapest. He sold this wine also at home.

The inn in Hallein from the 17th century to the present day

In 1601 the estate went to a “priest” from Adnet, who built the house as it is today. He sold his estate already in 1605 to Pankratz Grundler for the sum of 1’100 florin and 20 Thaler. The country description as ordered by prince – archbishop Wolf-Dietrich in 1612 describes the estate as follows: “According to a bill, Grundler is on the estate Waichenlehen in Urbar. There is a masonry house together with a barn and stables as well as a herb-garden and a small garden above the house and the road.” He had six days‘ work of land – 4 days‘ works with grain, the other meadows were not cultivated, they produced 6 cartloads of hay and aftermath.

In 1618, quarry owner Oswald Höllweger bought the estate.
In 1605, Georg Prüggler and his wife Ursula became the owners.
In 1630 the landlord of Elsbethen, Balthasar Jäger, bought the estate for 1’600 florin and sold it for 1’450 florin to Peter Gruber in 1641.
In 1692, Mathias Mayrhofer and his wife acquired the estate for 1’700 florin.
In 1702 Georg Prähauser took over. This time, the previously rather sketchy and dry notes on the sale were a bit more elaborate. The contents list also quotes “dead and alive property”.
The house stayed in the ownership of the same family until 1842. Then Johann Georg Bankosegger bought it. Due to the currency depreciation, the purchase price amounted to 5’000 florin.
In 1856, Franz and Therese Signitzer acquired the estate.

In 1909, family Rettenbacher, originally from a region called Taugl (St. Koloman), took over the estate. The parents of the current owners renovated large parts of the house.The hotel has gained international reputation under its current owners, August and Cäcilie Rettenbacher.

We hope you have a pleasant stay! Enquire about your hotel with traditional restaurant near Salzburg now.

Die Wirtsleut – your hosts – Cäcilia und August Rettenbacher.