HISTORY & CHRONICLE

 

HISTORY OF THE FORSTHAUS AUERHAHN

 

About the year 1760, when the "Calwer-Holländer-Holzkompagnie" (some lumberman) in the area of the Wildsee near the peak Hornisgrinde made a big tree-felling, some servants of them settled down at Diebelsbach, Volzenhaeuser, Zwickgabel, Leimis, Vorder, Mittel- and Hinterlangenbach. They stopped lumbering due to a four week long forest fire which destroyed 4000 ha forest from Schoenmuenzach till Roet in the murg valley. After a bad poverty the colonists afforested the ground with seeds. In this time, the court of the dukes of Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg where very expensive. The dukes needed the money and supported the exploitation of the forests in the valley round the Murg from the Calwer Holzkompagnie. The colonists, which lived in simple wood cottons, where supported from the state with cheap land sellings. Thereby they built the first solid settlements in the year 1820.

 

Also in the year 1821 the forest warden Alt-Mathaeus Zuefle built the Forsthaus Auerhahn with barnstables in the cellar and a small restaurant. At the end of his period of service he sold the Auerhahn to the Wuerttembergian "Cameralamt" at the 18.12.1856. Jung-Matthaeus Zuefle bought a lease of the Auerhahn. From 1821 till 1911 3 or 4 generations Zuefle where in the Auerhahn and their wifes where hosts of the Auerhahn. From 1911 till 1926 it was forest warden Albrecht with wife, from 1926-1962 forest warden Tritschler and from 1963 till 1997 forest warden Zepf with wife.

 

The distance to the next villages Schwarzenberg in the east or Seebach in the west is 15 km each. In this villages was the next farms with horses and bullocks, which where used to move trunks and other transport services. It was an interest of the forest administration and the wagoners that they have a accommodation after a hard working day near the place the worked. Because of this the Forsthaus Auerhah was a necessity. Some individual hikers discovered the nice landscape as a holiday area and in the travel guide "Baedeker" from 1900 the Auerhahn was mentioned as a vacation and hiking place.

 

The bullocks and hores as transport animals where replaced with lorrys and trucks after the second world war. The restaurant of the Auerhahn has got a new task from the forest administration. In the year 1933 the lumberman school of Hinterlangenbach was opened and it was a boarding school. The food supply of the learning lumberman and their teaches was made by the Auerhahn in the hard years after the war. The school, which has had a good reputation in Baden-Wuerttemberg, was closed in 1968. In 1973 the 20 year old southwestern state Baden-Wuerttemberg made a area reform. The northern black forest with countys Calw and Freudenstadt where moved from the local Government of Hohenzollern in Tübingen to the one from northern baden in Karlsruhe. The administration in Karlsruhe wanted to sell the Auerhahn as soon as possible and in 1982, after 126 years in state property, the 162 years old Auerhahn was sold to Dieter Zepf and his wife Katrin with the guest hous katrin. They has built the guesthouse in 1974 and developed the Auerhahn into a hotel. Martin and Ulrike Zepf are continuing this business since 2000

 

• 1821
  The Auerhahn was built by Old Matthaeus Zuefle as a forest warden house and a restaurant
  
• 18.12.1856
  The Auerhah was sold to the administration. Young Matthaeus Zuefle bought a lease
  
• 1821-1911
  3-4 generations of forest warden Züfle
  
• 1911-1926
  Forest warden Albrecht whith wife
  
• 1926-1962
  Forest warden Tritschler with wife
  
• Seit 1963
  Förster Zepf mit Frau als Wirtin
  
• 1966
  Installation of a small wimming pool 6x3 m
  
• 1974
  House Katrin was built as a guesthouse with a new swimming pool
  
• 1982
  The Auerhahn and the house katrin was sold by the administration to Dieter and Katrin Zepf
  
• 1984
  The Auerhahn was completely refurbished
  
• 1988
  House Harzwald was completely refurbished
  
• 1990
  Expansion and modernisation of the House Katrin with a new swimming area with an indoor pool and a whirlpool
  
• 1991
  Connection between House Katrin and Auerhahn
  
• 1992/93
  The sauna scene was built with different saunas, whirlpool, water-screw, soda-well and an outdoor recreation area
  
• 1995/96
  Increase of the Haus Katrin, installation of an escalator, increase and modernisation of the restaurant and rooms
• 2001
  Installation of the Beauty and Spa area
• 2001
  Takeover of the Seibelseckle
  
• 2004
  Installation of a Laconium in the sauna scene
  
• 2006
  Attachment of a big fitness room, our panorama silent rooms, the zirbel wood room with waterbeds and new rooms for ayurveda, softpack and hairdresser. Expansion of our terrace