Hospitality with tradition

A hotel with history

Ridnaun/Ridanna and especially its unspoilt landscape have fascinated visitors to the high valley since early times. The end of the valley in particular with its mighty three-thousand-metre peaks prompted many an enthusiastic description already at the beginning of the 19th century. It won’t have been many tourists who came to Ridnaun/Ridanna back then. The valley inhabitants mainly lived at that time as farmers and as miners in the nearby mine on the Schneeberg/Monteneve.

The old “bey der Hitten” inn was also situated on the old Erzstraße, which ran from Maiern/Masseria through the valley to Sterzing/Vipiteno. The name referred to the smelting works that operated at the foot of the St. Magdalena church hill. This inn is presumably the large building below the Sonklarhof, built entirely out of stone, on whose entrance portal the number 1545 is carved. It was already mentioned at the beginning of the 16th century, probably including the builders’ family coat of arms. From 1638 on the inn was owned by the Lärch family and passed to Andree Seeber in 1726 and to his son Matthias Seeber in 1769.

Over the following years, the inn was often passed on because the respective owners died at a young age. Matthias Seeber died in 1773, leaving behind his widow but no descendants. When his uncles and aunts on his father’s side made claims for inheritance, his aunt Elisabeth Seeber widowed Hochrainer was appointed heiress. She ran the inn until her death in 1777 when her son Anton Hochrainer then succeeded her and after his death in 1786 his widow Barbara Atzwanger. In 1821 Anton’s son Josef Hochrainer took over the property, but he died after just two years.

In 1823 Ignaz Hochrainer took over the “bey der Hitten” inn from his deceased brother Josef. Ignaz had played an important role in the Tyrolean freedom fights of 1809. He was taken hostage by the French in April 1809 along with other people and was able to act as a mediator between the Bavarian-French troops and the rebellious Tyroleans. Around this time he wrote a diary, he was later awarded the medal of honour. He died in 1843.

Elisabeth Hochrainer (1824-1857) took over the inn from her father Ignaz. Her husband Johann Klotz from Mareit/Mareta, who worked as a farm vet, was promoted to innkeeper through marriage. As early as 1868 he created a “visitors’ book” in which his guests could immortalize themselves. Among them are such illustrious names as the university professors Leopold Pfaundler and Julius von Ficker as well as famous alpinists such as Heinrich Noe and Franz Senn.