Let nature take its course – The Schneeganserhof
If you want to escape from the daily grind and come back down to earth by just gently flapping your wings, you will find a carefully designed biotope in the Hirschauer Bucht on Lake Chiemsee where you can rediscover what you have lost.
Traditional varieties
A white-tailed eagle glides through the silence. Above the flowers and shrubs of the cottage garden, the walnut tree and the small seating area under the Graue Luise [Grey Louise], an old, almost forgotten pear variety, entwined with a rambler rose, as if the two were lovers. Dewy bee pastures, litter meadows and fields extend to the riparian forest that lines the shore of Lake Chiemsee. Behind it, the fog slowly dissipates to make way for the sun and the Wilder Kaiser region. The fact that the white-tailed eagle, which is already extinct in Bavaria, is returning is a small miracle. Like so much here at the Schneeganserhof [Snow Goose Farm] in the Hirschauer Bucht [ Hirschau Bay]. Where the Tirol Ache river flows into Lake Chiemsee, forming one of the most important inland deltas in Europe. An enchantingly beautiful paradise for rare flora and fauna, as well as for city dwellers seeking peace and quiet. Because here, stress dissolves just as quickly as the fog.
If you were to sink into one of the garden chairs, you would love to watch the natural spectacle all day long, but the clock is ticking and the apple strudel is inviting you to breakfast.
It is probably not necessary to mention that the apples come from the hotel’s own garden. It becomes clear the moment you take the first bite that something from the past has been lovingly preserved and cared for here in every aspect. Something that has been lost in the speed and overabundance of our time and that you can rediscover during a break at the Schneeganserhof.
Connected to nature
It has been ten years since Petra Eckhardt-Köstler and her husband Wolfgang Köstler discovered the farm in the small hamlet of Hagenau between Grabenstätt and Chieming. Despite its neglected state, the couple recognised the potential of the historical building, which dates back to 1512 and owes its name to the migratory birds in the Ache delta. The manager and the surgeon were not only looking for a balance to their busy professional lives in Munich, but also a piece of nature that was allowed to return to its origins. The fact that the farm has a unique vantage point over the bay is thanks to the nature reserve in which the 15-hectare property is located. The property even has its own birdwatching tower, and some of it is leased to organic farmers, while other parts are sustainably reforested by the Eckhardt-Köstlers.
Together with the architectural firm Brüderl from Traunreut, the farm was extensively renovated down to the last detail and transformed into a gem that combines its historical roots with modern elegance, using natural materials, regional craftsmanship and a sustainable concept. To share this idyll with people who want to escape from the daily grind for a short or extended period and find peace in nature, the ground floor of the old barn was converted two years ago into a light, airy and comfortable holiday apartment for two people, facing south-west and with a direct view of Lake Chiemsee.
A promising view
When you arrive here, you can immediately immerse yourself with all your senses. A fragrant path flanked by thyme varieties leads to the apartment, which Petra Eckhardt-Köstler designed together with interior designer Gerti Leitenbacher, using lots of wood, warm colours, high-quality materials and simple design. A bright, spacious hallway accommodates everything that needs to be stored behind the custom-made, flush-fitting limed oak cupboards. As a subtly structuring element, they run through all the rooms, opening up everything you could wish for, furnished with attention to detail.
But you will be perfectly happy in the open-plan kitchen-living room, if not before, because the views of the lake and the foothills of the Alps are truly poetical. A huge steel window blurs the boundary between inside and outside and leads directly to the spacious south-west-facing terrace, where you can barbecue, eat, read, watch green woodpeckers, kestrels, white-tailed eagles and other birds, or listen to the buzzing of the earth bumblebee.
The colours of nature are also reflected in the furnishings, which visibly and tangibly emphasise sustainability and quality – such as the kitchen cupboard fronts of forest-green linoleum with a textile-covered kitchen bar, the dining alcove made by regional carpenters, or the sage-coloured sofa, which sits comfortably in a corner on the long silver fir floorboards. All of this is accompanied by nostalgic black and white photographs. The bathroom surprises with colourful accents in Corbusier pink and a sauna for cooler days. And what hasn’t even been mentioned yet is the bedroom, which includes an exercise bike with a view of the carefully designed cottage garden and a small desk where you can work, but even better write postcards and tell stories of all your excursions around Lake Chiemsee.
Letting go
Letting go, for example, by going for a bike ride that starts right outside the door and ends with a freshly caught whitefish in one of the fishing huts; by swimming across the calm lake in the mornings; by discovering all the fine treasures of art, culture and modern traditions that can be found here both on and off the beaten track, by enjoying nettle salad and wild spinach and, of course, homemade apple strudel that tastes of golden summers and pure happiness.
Text: Julia Hauch
Photos: © Christian Tharovsky / Fotostudio F8, © Petra Eckhardt-Köstler
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