Tradition, history and hosts

A journey into the past

Today's Hotel Kiendl in the Val di Nova near Merano has a lot of interesting things to tell.

On Easter Sunday in 1871, a historically significant event happened for the Austrian imperial family and for our family: the 13-year-old Crown Prince Rudolph, son of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (called "Sissi") and Emperor Franz Joseph, got into difficulties in the mountains during a hike in the Naiftal valley near our hotel. Our great-great-grandmother Karolina Winkler heard his cries for help and set off in search of him.

Ein Schwarz-Weiß-Porträt einer älteren Person mit markanten Gesichtszügen, die eine gemusterte Weste und eine mehrreihige Halskette trägt.

Collier des Österreichischen Kaiserhauses

Ausschnitt eines vergilbten historischen Briefbogens mit gedrucktem Firmenkopf, Wappen und handschriftlichen Notizen.

She brought the Austrian Crown Prince to safety

The prince's escort, heir to the throne, kept this affair a secret. Only many years later did the Austrian Emperor came to know of the brave deed and, in gratitude, had a precious necklace delivered to our ancestor.

A black-and-white photo of an intricately designed multi-strand necklace in an oval jewelry box.

A historical portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria in a magnificent dress with star ornaments in her hair and a fan in her hand.

A rectangular stone plaque in a dark metal frame commemorating Crown Prince Rudolf's 1871 visit to Merano.

Black and white photo of three people in a garden, two sitting in lounge chairs, one woman standing behind leaning on a chair back.

A historic black-and-white photo showing the Kiendl restaurant, featuring a portrait of an elderly woman in an edelweiss frame at the top left and the same woman standing in front of it.

A historic black-and-white photo of a woman and two men sitting or standing at a round table with glasses and flowers on it.

A historic, sealed envelope addressed to Karolina Winkler in Schöna near Meran from the General Adjutant to His Majesty the Emperor and King, including a list of jewelry contents valued at 1000 crowns.

A woman sits at a set table on a covered, glass-enclosed porch in front of a grapevine.

A handwritten note from April 1892 in Sütterlin script on a light background as a memento of a meeting.

The first Merano guests were hosted at the Gasthaus Kiendl as soon as in 1900

About 40 years later, more by chance, our great-grandmother rented the first guest room to two German students. Thus, over time, our current comfort hotel developed.
Nowadays we boast almost 450 years of tradition and we are very proud of it. Together, as a family, we carry on the tradition and try to incorporate elements and nuances of modernity so as to offer our guests a unique atmosphere in the Hotel Kiendl

Black and white photo of a garden with tables, chairs, and deck chairs in front of a large house with mountains in the background.

So that you can get to know us better, we will introduce ourselves briefly here:

Elfrida Winkler

Before my marriage to Franz Winkler I worked as an elementary school teacher. In 1982 I moved from my hometown of Marlengo to the village located on the opposite side of the valley, Scena, where Hotel Kiendl is located. For many years now I have worked in our hotel in Scena near Merano, first alongside my husband Franz and then together with my children Barbara and Hannes. Contact with guests and staff gives me a deep sense of satisfaction. I am especially happy when I see our regular hotel guests again, who have now become our friends.

Portrait of an older woman with short brown hair and a white top against a neutral background.

Hannes Winkler

I studied business administration and management and then worked for a global auditing company. Since 2017 I've been working at the Hotel Kiendl in the Val di Nova near Merano and I'm involved wherever people need me, especially in administration and reception. For me, a holiday at Kiendl means: arriving, slowing down and enjoying South Tyrol - in a pleasant, modern ambience with tradition.

A young man with short brown hair and a light shirt smiles at the camera against a blurred background of autumn leaves and grass.

Barbara mit Michl Pföstl und den Kindern Jakob, Mathias und Helena

Gemeinsam mit meinem Bruder Hannes bin ich im Kiendl aufgewachsen. Ich habe eine Tourismusfachschule und eine Ausbildung im Obst- und Weinbau absolviert. Mein Zuständigkeitsbereich ist sehr vielfältig und Sie finden mich im Hotel meistens an der Rezeption oder im Service: überall wo ich gebraucht werde, arbeite ich gerne mit und bin gerne im Gespräch mit unseren Gästen. Derzeit mache ich auch eine Ausbildung zur Wanderleiterin. Ich kenne alle Wanderwege im Meraner Land und gebe unseren Gästen gerne Tipps für ihren Aktivurlaub in Meran und Umgebung.

Michl ist leidenschaftlicher Landwirt und arbeitet im 45.000 m² großen Apfel- und Weingut rings um das Hotel Kiendl im Naiftal bei Meran und auf der Kiendl-Alm. In Freiberg nahe Meran bewirtschaftet er sein Apfel- und Weingut Bachlerhof, besondere Freude bereitet ihm der Weinbau. Das selbstangebaute Obst verwenden wir zur Herstellung von Marmeladen und unseres naturtrüben Apfelsafts.
Unsere Zwillinge Jakob und Mathias mit Schwesterchen Helena sind die Lieblinge unserer Familie und auch der Gäste. Sie bringen Freude und Sonnenschein ins Haus.

Eine fünfköpfige Familie, bestehend aus Eltern und drei Kindern, sitzt im Frühling vor einem großen Stein und einem blühenden rosafarbenen Baum im Garten.

Drei Kinder stehen in einem Garten: Zwei Jungen tragen traditionelle schwarze Trachten mit roten Westen und Hüten, ein Mädchen trägt ein weißes Kleid mit Blumenkranz.

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