For my husband Charly and me, the place, the lake, the mountains all around, has a quality that is not often found. It takes no more than two hours by car from Munich via the "Salzburg Autobahn" and the Inn Valley route, past the Passion Play site in Erl, through Brannenburg and just before the border at Kiefersfelden, behind which lies "The Pearl of Tyrol", Kufstein. You turn left in Oberaudorf, away from the Inn onto the 172, and no more than twenty minutes later you are at your destination.
A peaceful piece of land
The area essentially consists of a long, but also wide, open valley, which the Bavarian-Austrian Voralpen around Kampenwand, Hochplatte and Geigelstein on one side, and the Kaisergebirge and Unterberghorn on the other, separates and finally flows into the Berchtesgadener and Salzburger Land in Kössen and Reit im Winkl.
In particular, the transition from the rather gentle, only rocky Grasbergland on the peaks themselves to the high alpine Wilden Kaiser, makes up a large part of its charm. The Zahme Kaiser, which is so tame only in comparison to its wild counterpart south of it, is not high or close enough to overshadow the lake, but on the other hand offers an impressive backdrop with heights of up to 2002 meters. "Kaiserwinkel" indeed.
The village, located along the lake, is certainly tourist-oriented, but not overrun with tourist castles, even the hotels, most of which date back to the founding years and have the corresponding charm, still have a "cozy" atmosphere. And they are still there, the cozy family pensions, and even two campsites, at Seespitz and one on the southern lake shore.
The Walchsee Hof
We traditionally stay at the Logis at the Walchsee Hof, a historic 4-star hotel right in the village near the lake with an "integrated" restaurant including a beer garden, the "Schopferwirt". The family Kaltschmid has been running the place since 1934, now in the fourth generation. We have developed a friendly relationship with the operators, including the new ones, who have been in charge since this year.
In addition to the family atmosphere, we are particularly impressed by the sustainability that is practiced here, which is reflected in all aspects, from the architectural design to the "compensation" for an environmentally friendly mode of transport to the menu, even if this concept is rather discreetly communicated or marketed. Even charging stations for electric cars are not missing. It is not easy to operate a building that dates back to 1520 in such a way that you can even obtain an "Austrian Environmental Quality Label".
A house that is half a millennium old has inevitably undergone a lot over time. Especially if it is decorated with frescoes that a nationally well-known painter painted onto the facade in the middle of the eighteenth century.
Therefore, the energetic renovation aspect also applies to the conservation aspect, which means that for the refreshment of the paintings, in addition to stable craftsmanship and artistic input, the use of colors that are created and mixed in the same way as the artist did eons ago, is exclusively in question.
Good food from the region
The Gasthof Schopferwirt at the house – by the way, the original name of the entire property – continues the idea of sustainability, and this is not just a recent development. The ingredients come from the region and are served lovingly according to the season. It is a fine, but always down-to-earth cuisine, which is served on the table in the panorama restaurant or in the beer garden.
Sometimes also sport
The lake has a special significance for us, from swimming in the beach to the leisurely hike around the lake, which is about six kilometers long, to our latest hobby, stand-up paddling.
We are "E-bikers", and for those like us, there are amazing possibilities both south and north of the lake, for example, to the Walchseer Hausberg, the Heuberg as a Bike& Hike tour, into the Kaiserbachtal or to the Naring-Alm, to name only a few. Marc Kaltschmid also offers guided mountain bike tours – with or without pedal assistance. Perhaps a little golf, the nine-hole course is right next to it, "an 18er" is also in the immediate vicinity on the way to Kössen.
One of our favorite tours leads to the Naring Alm, located only a few kilometers from Walchsee, under the summit of the Ruder mountain at 1,100 meters above sea level in the Chiemgau mountains. The alm, built in 1911, is cozy and the panoramic view to the south is simply phenomenal. And for the physical well-being after the long ascent or climb – we always change, depending on our mood – there is plenty of it, at reasonable prices.
And then there is: The nature
Stunning, without being grandiose. No three-thousand-meter peaks, but the largest moor in Northern Tyrol, the Schwemm with its dozens of exotic plants and animals. It's a shame that the area is still not under nature protection.
The mountains: rather charming in the north of the valley, a little threatening in the south, and – with Goinger Halt and Fleischbank and the entire ridge of the Wild Kaiser – mighty and awe-inspiring. That is why we are here in the "Kaiserwinkl" – that says it all.
