Blog — Hirschen, fine hotel in the Bregenzerwald

El Dorado für Ästheten
Craftsmanship is everywhere. Craftsmanship is creative, fun, moving, connecting, protective, constructive, tasty and sometimes even stands for a bit of glitz and glamour. The "golden ground" does not come from nowhere.
Schwarzenberg is a prime example of this: in this small town alone, there are around one hundred workshops – carpenters, metalworkers, lighting designers and many more. People who know their craft – in the best sense of the word.
Craftsmanship has always been an important engine for the regional economy. And without the manual skills and the intuition of the people before us, there would also be far less to discover and marvel at, and not only in Schwarzenberg.
The people of Bregenzerwald have always had a great sense for preserving tradition without submitting to it. The precise work with regional materials resonates strongly with the landscape and the people. With this aspiration and a high level of sensitivity for design and material, new things are constantly being created. You could also say: "pieces" with character are born.

If you want to experience this for yourself, you should take a look at the Werkraum . There you can see what happens when craftsmanship and design meet – without much fuss, but well thought out. Or you can visit the Handwerk+Form exhibition from October 3 to 11, 2026, in Andelsbuch: the tour impressively shows how vibrant this dialogue is.
The history of craftsmanship and the guilds is illuminated by the Baroque Builders Museum in Au – a visit there is like a journey through time and makes it clear how this industry was able to develop here in the Bregenzerwald.
But then, the Hirschen would not be the Hirschen without the gifted craftsmen who look after us year in, year out, creating wonderful things and helping to make the little gem shine again after various incidents (see fire).

Since we are constantly being asked about the "artists behind the works", we will reveal some of them:
Fire Signs · Voppichler Stove Building
Simon & his team have made our new fireplace rise from the ashes. Thank goodness, otherwise we would have actually had to invent a new name for the fireplace room as well.
Not all that glitters is gold – but almost · OFFFHAND
Goldsmithing at its ffffinest, that's how simple Michael Rüscher's work is to describe. With great artistic talent, he crafts unique jewelry made exclusively of solid gold, platinum and silver (and serves very good coffee on the side).
Ceramics with Soul · Mario Feurstein
Mario Feurstein, the talented ceramic artist from Andelsbuch, has designed a series of plates for the Hirschen. Our culinary creations deserve a fitting frame, we think.
From Biedermeier sofas to art objects · Mohr Polster
The craft of upholstery has become rare. At Mohr Polster, masters of their trade are at work. At the Hirschen, too, we repeatedly rely on their feel for material and form and their high standard of quality.
Do you have (color) tones? · Fetzcolor
If every color tone in the Hirschen made a sound, it would probably be a symphony. For decades, Fetzcolor has been implementing our color concept in the house, ensuring that special harmony. The highlight of their work: exposing the ceiling painting by Gabriel Ignaz Thum in the King Max Suite – under 7 layers of paint ...
Magic of Fire · Inbrunst
Nomen est omen. When our head chef Jonathan, Simon Voppichler (yes, the stove builder) and Christoph Hagspiel, mechanical engineer, join forces, only something hot can emerge. The grill ovens have long reached cult status.
Domestic wood in its most beautiful form · Tischlerei Geser
Olive ash, silver fir, walnut. The Geser carpentry workshop is responsible for much at the Hirschen. Not only the furniture in our rooms and suites, but also custom-made cabinets in the restaurant and the bathrobe bar were created in the workshop in Andelsbuch.
A team of tinkerers · Felder Metall
Admittedly, a metal pool like this has been our dream for a long time. Peter Fetz was able to fulfill another dream by being allowed to design the lounge benches in the pool himself.
Luminous Craftsmanship · Strolz Leuchten
Light creates atmosphere. With great attention to detail, Claudia Strolz crafts special lampshades in her manufacture. The shop in Dornbirn is also a demonstration workshop.
Beautiful Design · Marika Marte
We have also trusted her for many years. Marika's feel for rooms and colors, her fine taste in design and interior decoration, confirms to us again and again: she is the right one for us.
Tips, experiences and stories.
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