The Berghotel Rehlegg in the national park community of Ramsau near Berchtesgaden uniquely combines tradition with modernity and sustainability with enjoyment. Electric mobility is one of many elements that document the hotel’s claim to treat nature and its creatures with respect.
The Berghotel Rehlegg is widely known as the epitome of cuisine with organic products from the region and equally for its wellness offerings and a consistent sustainability concept.
Konsequent regional und nachhaltig
“Less, but better” is a motto of the Rehlegg. The concept of the house can hardly be described more aptly, which is characterized by the concentration on the essentials with high quality and the renunciation of resource-consuming frills. The consistently practiced approach of regionality and sustainability seems unobtrusive and natural. Living by example instead of proselytizing, that is the motto of the four-star destination. Even if they profit from it in the long run, many of the measures remain hidden to the guests. Thus in the Rehlegg for instance one cleans with “effective micro organisms”. These are wastewater-friendly and groundwater-neutral. They break down impurities, odors and deposits and have an antistatic effect, which means that dust no longer accumulates so quickly on surfaces. In this way, the environment is spared tons of chemical cleaning agents. And a pleasant and healthy living climate is created for the guests.
Eine Reise nach Innen
The Rehlegg wants to be more than a wellness hotel. One would like to invite the guests to a journey inward. The Almwies’n SPA is the result of careful selection. Stephanie Lichtmannegger has lovingly explored which materials and objects are allowed to enter. Lots of wood. Earthy colors. Soft lighting. Candlelight.
Nature has given us a rich gift. The Berchtesgaden National Park starts at our doorstep and our house is located in the middle of the biosphere region Berchtesgadener Land. The mountaineering village Ramsau focuses on sustainable, nature-oriented tourism. Just like we do. We are very happy to take on this responsibility.
Hotelier Hannes Lichtmannegger
Only natural cosmetics are used in the Almwies’n SPA. Inspired by the Rehlegger Leit’n, the steep mountain meadow behind the hotel, where almost 70 different medicinal plants and herbs grow, including carnation root and the small Braunelle, primroses, dog roses, St. John’s wort and mint, a certified herbalist has created her own natural cosmetics series for the hotel. The “Rehlegger Kräuterfee” is produced according to strict ecological guidelines. Those who wish can also purchase the “Rehlegger Kräuterfee” in the hotel store.
Culinary with added value
Food is a means to life. At the Rehlegg, they are held in the highest esteem. Not only in order to be able to serve the guests dishes of the finest quality, but also out of the hoteliers’ innermost conviction. The careful handling of the products is close to the Lichtmanneggers’ hearts – from start to finish, from production to preparation. Accordingly, the “True Food” concept of the house is also consistently implemented.
Good ingredients are the basis of any good cuisine, they are the best cook. The Rehlegg’s dining room is nature on the doorstep. It provides first-class, depending on the season different and fresh products. Unadulterated, untreated and “unquenched”. Whoever not only talks about respect for all living creatures – including the farm suppliers – but also practices it, must invest accordingly. Thus the products in the Rehlegg have not only idealistic value, one lets them also something cost. For the well-being of the guest, but also of all animal, vegetable and human “partners”. All this happens in the Berghotel out of absolute conviction and as a result of conscious decisions. Not by chance and certainly not for marketing reasons.
Quality from the region
Regional food has priority and, wherever possible, also those from organic production. And the suppliers and partners are not only selected for the quality of their products, they also share the values and commitment of the host company. Fish, meat and poultry, for example, come almost exclusively from species-appropriate, small-scale farming. The brewery covers its entire energy needs from renewable sources, the wine press house cultivates old, almost forgotten fruit varieties, and the dairy produces dairy products with a guarantee of origin. All natural and without genetic engineering. The private roaster knows his coffee farmers personally, the mineral water springs from the nearby mountains, and tasty kitchen herbs thrive in the in-house garden.
Exclusive Rehlegg specialties
Those who understand exclusive products to be of the highest quality are certainly right. Some delicacies that guests of the mountain hotel can enjoy are not only particularly tasty, but also exclusive in that they are only available at the Rehlegg. In order to achieve such a special position, an extraordinary commitment was required. Like, for example, the rescue operation of the Black Alpine Pig.
Lucky Pigs
When Johannes Lichtmannegger once looked around for a source of pork from species-appropriate organic farming, he was aware that it would be difficult to consistently implement his regional concept even in the selection of a suitable, robust breed suitable for free-range farming in alpine regions. Although there are still remnants of original pig breeds, they originate from neighboring (south) eastern countries or from northern climes, such as the Mangalicas, Turopoljes or saddle pigs. But just when it seemed that a compromise would have to be accepted, the hotelier was electrified by the news that small remnants of a pig breed once common in the Alpine region and thought to be extinct had been discovered by chance on remote farms in South Tyrol. High time to bring a former Bavarian “cultural asset” on four legs back to its old home, thought Johannes Lichtmannegger and immediately acquired a few of the animals and had them nurtured and reproduced by two partner farmers.
The four-legged rarities could not have been better off, because the Rehlegg Black Alpine Pigs have it good, they are allowed outdoors. They are allowed outdoors all summer long, on their own wide mountain meadow with lots of lush grass and mud to wallow in. And they thank you at the end of their happy existence, like all original breeds, with plenty of fat – and relatively little meat. Strange, but why then do gourmets make a pilgrimage to the Rehlegg, just to catch a morsel of the most delicious lucky pork? Because fat is a wonderful flavor carrier and because the fat of the alpine pig with its firm consistency is not to be compared with the tranigen, whitish mass of some highly bred kind comrades, which were never allowed to see the sun in their lifetime. Connoisseurs are particularly keen on the lardo, the matured fat bacon made according to a traditional Italian recipe. If you are looking for a drink to go with it, you will find it in the Rehlegg’s exclusive collection of rarities.
Roebuck liquid
The ancient grain variety “Laufener Landweizen” is said to have been cultivated in the Rupertiwinkel for the first time in the 16th century, but was later completely forgotten. Until employees of the Bavarian Academy for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management discovered remnant seed stocks. Laufener Landweizen is ideally adapted to regional conditions, thrives without chemical crop protection because it is less susceptible to soil moisture and thus more resistant to fungal attack. It also receives significantly less gluten compared to modern, highly cultivated wheat varieties. True to the motto for the preservation of endangered breeds and varieties “Save by eating and drinking”, the Rehleggers immediately set out to find out what products could be made from this ancient grain. Together with a friendly supplier, the Wieninger brewery in Teisendorf, they finally dared to experiment with brewing beer from 1.3 tons of Laufen wheat. This was new territory even for the experienced brewmaster.
Variety rescue or exclusivity – in the end, only taste decides whether the project is worth pursuing. In the meantime, it is clear that the experiment has been a success, and the contents of 5,000 to 6,000 bottles of “Rehlegger Rehbock,” a magnificent Weizen Doppelbock beer, are already flowing down the throats of the house guests every year. And only from these. Exclusively.
E-Mobilität mit selbsterzeugtem Ökostrom
The green electricity for the electric guest cars and the rental and employee vehicles called “REH-Mobiles” is largely produced in-house. Currently, there are three charging points at the hotel; a large carport is planned, which will be covered with PV modules. This will then cover 50 kW of power and a 100 kWh storage system will support the charging management of six new charging stations. Already, 75 percent of the hotel’s electricity requirements are generated by two combined heat and power plants and photovoltaic systems on the hotel roofs. The remaining electricity comes 100 percent from hydroelectric power from the Inn River. In order to compensate for their own residual emissions, the Lichtmannegger owner family also participates in reforestation projects in Panama. The Berghotel Rehlegg takes a pioneering role with its energy concept. It is the first hotel in Upper Bavaria to leave a positive CO₂ footprint and binds more carbon dioxide than it causes. It is therefore climate positive.
Where, if not in the midst of an alpine region, do people get the idea of giving themselves a portion of tailwind in the form of e-motor support when biking uphill. And so the mountain hotel also provides its guests with high-quality e-mountain bikes. Pure riding fun, even if the muscular effort that still has to be made is not to be underestimated. It goes nevertheless with some Bike Trails of the environment quite steeply or as the upper Bavarians say, “gach” upward.
Berghotel Rehlegg
Holzengasse 16
83486 Ramsau b. Berchtesgaden
Phone 08657 / 9 88 40
info@rehlegg.de
www.rehlegg.de
Phone 08657 / 9 88 40
