You are here:  
  1. Hotel » 
  2.  
  3.  History of the hotel

History of the Hotel Andreas Hofer in Mandarfen 

It was once in Mandarfen around 1900 in "Emperor's time":

The small farming village of Mandarfen was sparsely populated. Except for 3 houses of which only 2 were inhabited, there were only stables for the cattle, which protected the inhabitants from starvation. Until 1927 our house was a semi-detached house with attached stable.

1928 - Andreas Hofer was not yet an inn, but a simple farmhouse, the house names of the two families who lived there at that time were "Katerer und Zischgn".

1929 - The first big fire broke out and the house burned down completely.

1930 - Opening
The ceremonial opening of the new and for the first time Gasthof Andreas Hofer. Our hotel got its name from the owner Josef Neururer (Alter Katerer), who looked like Andreas Hofer, our Tyrolean freedom fighter from 1809. The inn was the first house with central heating, electricity and running water, it was technically advanced for those times.

1932 - The second fire
From the chronicle of the volunteer fire brigade of Plangeroß
"On January 25, a fire broke out in the Andreas Hofer Inn in Mandarfen. The house became a robbery of the flames and burned to the ground." Under the impression of this accident the men of Plangeroß decided to found the volunteer fire brigade Plangeroß.
The inn was rebuilt until 1948 and accommodated many hikers and skiers from all over the world.

1948 - Fire
The Andreas Hofer inn was once again on fire. But the men of the volunteer fire brigade Plangeroß were already there. It was freezing cold, the wind whistled through the valley, wild snowstorms gave the Mandarfners three and a half metres of fresh snow. The water pump was transported from Plangeroß to Mandarfen by horse-drawn carriages under the most adverse conditions and with great avalanche danger. Despite these bad conditions, the fire brigade managed to extinguish the fire. As if by a miracle, no people died in all these fires. Probably the most valuable piece of the house is the crucifix, which survived all these fires without damage and is still hung in the restaurant of the hotel today.

1949 - Reconstruction
In this year the house was rebuilt and got the look that still persists today.

1950 - The upswing
The 50s were the times when the economy stabilized again, which was also noticeable in the Pitztal. More and more guests were looking for peace and idyll in the Pitztal mountains. At that time, summer tourism was the mainstay of Pitztal tourism, while winter tourism was only a minor side effect.

1960- After Josef Neururer's death, his son Walter Neururer took over the inn and continued work for it.

1970-1991 Andreas Hofer in Mandarfen was the inn at the Platz many celebrations were held there. With the construction of the Rifflseebahn, winter tourism became more and more important, but the great upswing only took place with the construction of the Pitztaler Gletscherbahn.

1992 - Walter Neururer had an accident in that year and his wife Vera did not want to continue the business, so the inn was offered for sale.

The family Auer and the Hofer
On 22.01.1992 Mrs. Paula Auer (at that time landlady of the Hotel Riffelsee) together with her son Thomas Auer bought the Gasthaus Andreas Hofer. The date was a very special one for the Auer family since Franz Auer /alias Boschn Franz/ (state certified mountain guide and ski instructor) -(husband of Paula Auer) was born on 22.01.1927, he gave ski lessons on the day of the purchase and only became familiar with the happy embassy in the evening.

1992 - The new host family Auer:
Thomas and his first wife Carmen Auer managed the small and traditional inn with a lot of love and passion and expanded it by a grocery store, in the same year on 20.04.1992 Gernot Auer saw the light of day.

1994 - The first extension and conversion

The inn was extended and improved with sauna, steam bath, solarium, passenger elevator and new rooms, in the cellar an ApreSki restaurant was built the Dorfstadl.

1995- Thomas Auer increases the offer for his guests and built a ski lift and a small ski hut at the entrance of Mandarfen, in the same year on 09.03.1995 daughter Franziska Auer was born.

1998- On 31.08.1998 the next offspring was born, Riccardo Auer.

2001 The second extension:
The hotel was extended with a modern wellness area, a large seminar room and further rooms were built.

Thomas Auer now managed the house with his wife Silvia, on 17.10.2004 Lisa was born - and on 10.10.2005 Michael Auer was born.

2010 A change in the summer months
The Auer family longed for their roots again, Thomas Auer leased the Höllentalangerhütte in Grainau - Zugspitz area, therefore our house is closed during the summer months.

2017- Even Gernot Auer could not suppress his love for the mountains, so he leased the Knorrhütte in Garmisch-Partenkirchen - Zugspitz area with his girlfriend Romana.

Until May 2018 Thomas Auer managed the Hotel Andreas Hofer with his wife Silvia Auer.

2018 It continues:
Since October 2018 - Thomas and Silvia Auer handed over the agendas of the house to Gernot and Romana, the next generation is thus secured.

2020 Aurelia is born 
On 11.02.2020 Aurelia Auer sees the light of day. "What a lucky day", great-grandma Paula Auer, who bought the inn in 1992 was born on 11.02. too. 

2021 There is always something new for our guests. The story continues, it remains exciting.

10 reasons for holidays in the Pitztal:

100 % guarantee of snow

Hotel's own ski lift for training – free

Pitzi`s Paradise for Kids: more than 150 m² playing area

Top location directly at the cable railway station

350 msauna world

Cosy & familiar atmosphere

Wi-fi in all rooms

Inhouse ski rental: 20 % reduction

Gourmet breakfast until 10.30 am and
dinner with local specialties

No waiting hours at the cable cars & lifts – no traffic jams during arrival to the Pitztal

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information you’ve provided to them or they’ve collected from your use of their services.