Walster 10

“We’ve been married for 25 years, Arthur, and I’m going to give you a brand new lake!” Margret Krupp said to her husband in 1906, and had the Walsterbach dammed without further ado. Since then, Lake Hubertus has existed in the remote valley near the border between Lower Austria and Styria. This clear, fresh, romantic mountain lake blends into the landscape near Mariazell like a painting, and is a true paradise for water birds and fish. Here, 18 years later, a house was built on the shore of the lake, which was first inhabited by lumberjacks and then served as a school building. Today, it’s a stately wooden house on a stable stone base, which offers a wide view over the lake, and borders on protective forest at the back. The interior is spacious and harmoniously designed: Wide wooden floorboards pick up the flair of the former woodsman’s house, an oval dining table with eight chairs, not one, but three large sofas sporting different vintage designs and a bright yellow fireplace all provide cool interior styling on the ground floor. In the three bedrooms upstairs, up to eight guests can enjoy stunning lake views in cozy box-spring beds. Desks by the window—stocked with notebooks—offer the opportunity to jot down thoughts about life that sometimes come to mind in the peace and quiet. It’s best to forget working here, instead allowing the peace and power of the surroundings take their effect. On each floor, there’s a beautiful bathroom with underfloor heating. On the lake side, wicker chairs and a barbecue await, as well as a larch wood jetty and a spacious sauna—after sweating it out, you can jump directly in the lake and cool off. What a blast! If you want to go further out, you can sit in the hotel’s own rowing boat, push off and enjoy the romantic lake bliss all by yourself or with a partner. To really switch off and relax with family or friends, there’s hardly a better place than Walster 10. 

WHAT WE LIKE MOST:

• The power that this house on the lake radiates
• The peace that this house by the lake radiates
• The deep inner contentment that you immediately feel here
• The beautiful, foot-warming bathrooms, which skillfully combine original flair and cool bathroom design
• The fact that there’s actually room for everyone on a sofa, because there are three really big ones on offer. There’s no need for anyone to endure a cozy get-together of an evening sitting uncomfortably on a wooden dining chair.
• The stunning bright yellow fireplace! Who wouldn’t want one of those in their own home?
• The private spacious sauna, where you can first lie down to sweat it out before simply jumping into the refreshing lake to cool off. Natural luxury pure!
• The welcome basket with homemade farmhouse bread, coffee and tea, vinegar and oil, salt and pepper
• The well-stocked wooden hut next to it with firewood for the barbecue, the fireplace and the bright yellow tiled stove. Organic lighters are also provided.
• At the jetty, your own rowing boat awaits.

GOOD TO KNOW:

• Bed linen, towels, tea towels, sauna towels and bathrobes are provided; shampoo and shower gel from Styx Naturkosmetik are available in the bathrooms.
• There are beautiful hiking trails around Lake Hubertus to Schwarzwalster into Fadental and through Schnittlermoos.
• Worth a trip—the Arthur Krupp Monument Trail with a total of 21 statues, monuments and statues commemorating the work of Arthur Krupp
• Even pilgrims cross here: Several traditional pilgrimage routes lead to Mariazell over a distance of about 300 kilometers.
• Cyclists will find a well-developed network of cycle paths.
• In winter, you can go snowshoeing, tobogganing and bobsledding—equipment is available.
• At Mariazell train station, you can board the museum steam tramway and ride in faithfully restored carriages on the railroad line to Lake Erlauf. The Mariazellerbahn also offers railroad romance; it goes to St.Pölten.
• At last, a river you can actually drink from: The Salza, the second largest river in Styria, offers the highest quality drinking water.
• In Mariazell, there are many small producers of very special delicacies: the herb liquor Mariazeller Jagasaftl, Arzberger who produces the original liquor Mariazeller Magenlikör, fresh fish from Decleva’s Alpenfisch Mariazell, delicious gingerbread from the Pirker gingerbread workshop, honey, organic meat and so much more.
• Minimum stay of two nights; July, August, Christmas and New Year’s Eve at least seven days.