Bild­stein and its Mes­merhaus: A mes­me­rising power­house above Lake Con­s­tance

By Ulrich Stefan Knoll

Bild­stein in Vor­arlberg, Austria. This location with its view of Lake Con­s­tance and the Alpine Rhine estuary will evoke breath-taking images in your mind even whilst planning your holiday there. When I arrive, it isn’t just the late evening views of the distant lights on the lake’s opposite shore that widen my horizons. Before making any other impression, it is the magical silence of the small village sur­rounding the Basilica of the Visi­tation of Our Mary that strikes me imme­diately. If silence could be described as a “sound”, to me it is sublime, peaceful, and it grounds me almost invol­un­t­arily.

Just getting out of the car, I think I can hear single rain­drops falling. A cat flits by almost imper­cep­tibly. Then silence again. Everyday cares and stress melt away. For years, we had driven past this spot, had stopped in road­houses here on the way to the South of France, heading right on by with Lake Con­s­tance in sight. And even though France is and will always be worth a trip, I ask myself in dis­belief why we had never turned left at Bregenz once in a while. Ten minutes later and we would have been here already. Arrived.

While I’m still con­tem­plating the ensemble of heritage listed timber houses around the basilica, the bells start to ring their “Salve Regina”. In the city, one might perhaps overhear these bells as an unob­trusive sequence of random tones. Here, on the other hand, your senses are shar­pened. And so, in the fol­lowing days, the five opening tones of “Salve Maria” will not only determine the daily rhythm of this 800-strong com­munity above the Rhine Valley, but ours also.

Living in a heritage listed building, at that time

The first thing that strikes me – that is, after the triple-clad spruce shingle façade – is the massive front door with the initials FJB 1905 inscribed into it. These refer to Franz Josef Böhler, one of the ancestors of today’s host Evi Haller. The car­penter acquired the by then more than 200-year-old house in that year, the exact date of con­s­truction of which is unknown.

That’s how the house got its present name. For over six decades, Haller’s great-grand­father pro­vided mea­suring ser­vices to the basilica and led a carpenter’s workshop – under extremely cramped con­di­tions in the first floor of the Mes­merhaus. High quality wood con­s­truction and pro­cessing, which are still typical to the Bre­gen­zerwald region, have a long tra­dition here in the house and in the family. Hence, the family history is reflected in the names of two of the three apart­ments to rent in the Mes­merhaus: Franz Josef and Ludovika, his wife.

The hos­pi­tality industry is not com­pletely new ter­ritory for the family either. Evi’s great-aunt Maria Böhler rented private rooms in the house from 1966 to 1997. As the entries in its guestbook certify, she was a careful and popular host. The third apartment was named in her honour.

From a car­pen­ter’s workshop to holiday accom­mo­dation

After Maria Buhler’s death, the house stood empty for several years. Evi Haller, who had spent most of her childhood in Bild­stein and who had grown very fond of the house, faced a great challenge in 2009. She had inhe­rited the Mes­merhaus as part of her family’s his­to­rical heritage. It was the­r­efore her task to find a meaningful use for it. In view of its extra­or­dinary archi­tecture and exposed location, trans­forming it into unique and inno­vative tourist accom­mo­dation seemed to be the clearest answer. And so it was. Playing the host quickly grew into a passion for Evi Haller. Whos­oever comes here will quickly notice that her great-aunt’s genes are firmly anchored in her own DNA.

As the house is part of the listed ensemble sur­rounding the basilica, the con­version was no easy feat. But it was a wort­hwhile one, because the house has been a jewel on the square since its com­pletion in 2012. On the outside, the listed building with its shingle façade and many windows has hardly changed. Inside, however, a new era has arrived. “The his­to­rical flair of its shell is enriched by a modern interior design lan­guage that makes con­tem­porary living pos­sible and still allows the mys­ticism of its past to be felt,” explains Evi’s husband and master builder, Jürgen Haller.

The removal of the building’s core

Since the requi­re­ments of the Federal Monu­ments Aut­hority Austria related to the façade, whose type and pro­por­tions had to be pro­fes­sio­nally repaired, the ope­rators called in the architect Christian Lenz, who brought in his expertise in the reno­vation of heritage listed buil­dings. The façade was gutted except for the knitted wall and com­pletely rebuilt, and a new floor slab was also installed.
Inside, there was hardly any­thing to save – even the fur­niture could only be pre­served in indi­vidual cases. So Jürgen Haller was granted free reign, apart from the room heights and the window volumes. Fol­lowing his guiding prin­ciple of “the best solution will always be unique” – in other words, the approach of rea­lising every building project as an indi­vi­dua­lised solution to the local needs and con­di­tions – he has cer­tainly done justice to it.

Since then, triple-glazed interior windows to a passive house standard have been met with front windows that have been newly manu­fac­tured as box windows in keeping with the Aus­trian requi­re­ments of his­to­rical monu­ments. Tra­dition and cosiness are com­bined with comfort in accordance with the most modern and energy-effi­cient requi­re­ments. Each holiday apartment has brushed oak floors, is equipped with Vor­arlberg car­pentry fur­niture and spruce cei­lings. These fur­nis­hings are com­ple­mented by Italian design pieces and modern lighting. The garden and bench in front of the house are available to all guests. Breakfast brought to your door is available to book in advance. Alter­na­tively, Mes­mer’s Stadel offers sel­ected pro­ducts for phy­sical well­being and there is a charming village shop in the imme­diate vicinity. If you want to make yourself even more com­for­table, you can choose between three restau­rants within walking distance, from the tra­di­tional to the up-market.

If you’re planning to come alone or as a couple, Maria might be the right choice for you. Across 30 square metres, you will find ever­y­thing your heart desires. With beau­tiful views of the Karren, Dornbirn’s local mountain, and of the Maria Basilica of Bild­stein.

For two or three people we recommend the somewhat larger Franz Josef apartment, which has a separate bedroom and a pull-out sofa on around 50 square metres. Pan­o­ramic views from the moun­tains across the village of Bild­stein to Lake Con­s­tance can also be enjoyed from a covered balcony.

The cen­tre­piece of the house is the two-storey Ludovika suite, which extends over 180 square metres. Here, a large kitchen-living room with adjoining loggia and fan­tastic views, a total of four beds, and a spa­cious living area under the roof await you. Two black metal stoves and com­for­table places to sit and lounge around provide so much cosiness in the cold season that you might just miss the outdoor high­lights of the sur­rounding region.

Of course, the whole house can be rented as one. In this case, there is enough space for larger families with children, even accom­panied by grand­parents. The large kitchen-cum-living-room and the living area in the attic of the “Ludovika” are ideal places for socia­lizing. And if needed, there are also plenty of places to retreat to thanks to the separate apart­ments.

As though you belong …

No matter which apartment you choose, one thing is certain: the indi­vidual care of your host. You will receive tailor-made tips for your stay in advance – all according to your per­sonal pre­fe­rences and inte­rests. Even during your stay, Evi Haller will always be at your side with advice and assis­tance if you need it. And if you come to visit, your will quickly find out for yourself that your hosts were not awarded a prize in tourism inno­vation by Vor­arlberg Tourism for nothing.

“Care and thoughtfulness down to the smallest detail is what our winner, with the help of her extensive family, has made of her his­to­rical heritage at one of the most beau­tiful spots in Vor­arlberg. The extra­or­dinary holiday accom­mo­dation in this heritage listed building and the per­sonal touch of its hosts will surely win over looking for a place away from home – a place where they can feel, for a short time, as though they belong.” Jury’s statement

Even if there is hardly any­thing to improve here, Evi and Jürgen love to travel to guest­houses near and far to gather tips and sug­ges­tions. Whenever their time allows.

Pil­grimage site for archi­tecture, culture and nature enthu­siasts

For many years, archi­tecture lovers from around the world have been reliably finding inspi­ration in the nearby Bre­gen­zerwald, Bregenz and Dornbirn. A perhaps less well-known fact is that Bild­stein itself has repea­tedly made its own cul­tural mark. So you don’t neces­s­arily have to wait for the next Bregenz Fes­tival, which lite­rally lies at your feet. The soprano Birgit Gisel­brecht-Plankel, who was born in Bild­stein, regu­larly orga­nizes high-ranking con­certs in the Basilica throughout the year – in other words within walking distance. High­lights include recurring guest per­for­mances by the Sym­phony Quintet Schrammel Vienna, a group com­prised of musi­cians from the Vienna Sym­phony Orchestra, which in turn forms opera orchestra at the Bregenz Fes­tival over the summer. Or reserve your tickets in time for the first Sunday in August. On this day, the Baroque Ensemble of the Vienna Sym­phony Orchestra tra­di­tio­nally per­forms in the Basilica. These and all other dates can be found on the website of the “Verein Kultur” (cul­tural com­mittee) in Bild­stein. Of course you can also come here for hiking or cycling, exploring the border tri­angle between Austria, Switz­erland and Germany, and Lake Con­s­tance. You will find your host’s first tips for your stay here. Or you can simply relax and let the holidays come to you as they are. That’s not such a bad idea here either.

Bril­liant views

You might also be curious about Evi and Jürgen’s new project. Directly within Mellau and hence in the largest ski area of the Bre­gen­zerwald, they are planning two houses with ten apart­ments, common rooms and a wellness area. The opening is planned for Christmas 2019. We will keep you posted on its deve­lo­pment!