Enjoy, relax – arrive
Those who follow their sense of pleasure will sooner or later stop off at a very special gourmet address: Traube Tonbach is the name of this exquisite gem in Baiersbronn in the heart of the Northern Black Forest National Park. The Traube is known worldwide especially for its exquisite cuisine – and its long tradition that dates back to 1789. At that time, Tobias Finkbeiner opened a beer and cider tavern on today’s Tonbachstraße, which his son Ludwig, a baker by trade, later expanded to include a bakery. The next generation, grandson Johann Georg Finkenbeiner, brought a distillery into the Schänke cellar and distilled various schnapps. Great-grandson Friedrich Finkenbeiner added wine to the range in 1890.
The origin of modern hospitality
With great-great-grandson Heinrich Finkenbeiner, the accommodation business came to the location. The first overnight stays in 1920 were followed by the construction of more guest rooms over the next 19 years. Heinrich’s wife Franziska took over the catering. The next scion, great-great-grandson Willi Finkenberger, opened one of the first Black Forest holiday hotels with bathrooms and balconies in 1957. This 64-bed establishment still exists today as the first wing of the hotel and paved the way for modern hospitality, which by 2020 had expanded by numerous dimensions: the resort included the four-Michelin-starred Schwarzwaldstube, a member of the restaurant association “Les Grandes Tables Du Monde – Traditions & Qualité” since 1991, a spacious bathing area, conference rooms, vinotheque, a spa and wellness resort – even a combined heat and power plant.
A fateful new beginning
The year 2020 remains all the more lasting in the memory of the Finkenbeiner family. A turning point in the hotel’s history: at the beginning of January, a fire destroyed the main building and restaurants. Instead of capitulating, the team did everything in its power to rebuild the Traube as quickly as possible, including continuing the climate protection and energy goals pursued since 1993. The beginning of the Corona pandemic also fell in this fateful year, and so the family once again devised sensible solutions. These included a transitional option for restaurant operations: the “Temporaire” on the roof of the hotel garage, which secured the jobs of all 100 employees and brought back the Michelin stars. From the summer of 2020, a new building was erected on the site of the old main building, three individual houses reminiscent of the former building in size and arrangement.
Return of luxury and dolce vita
Since April 2022, after a successful 18-month construction phase with the support of 50 regional businesses, the Traube Tonbach has been back in full operation with its 320 motivated employees: the former “Köhlerstube” has become the “1789” restaurant, while the original concept of Asian-inspired dishes remains. The completely burnt down “Bauernstube” is replaced by the 60-seat “Schatzhauser” restaurant, where guests enjoy Swabian-Badish fare with a breathtaking panoramic view of nature. The newly built “Schwarzwaldstube” also convinces with a beguiling view over the Tonbach Valley in addition to four-star culinary delights.
A gem in the middle of greenery
Speaking of beguiling: not only with its philosophy, but also with its clear, minimalist design – realised with many natural building materials, in particular via purist, stylish loam walls – the Traube Tonbach fits elegantly into its surroundings. The northern Black Forest is characterised by wild streams, romantic lakes, unspoilt countryside with forests, mountains and valleys. Holidaymakers and locals alike enjoy the variety of outdoor activities. Among other things, Baiersbronn is known for its hiking network with around 550 impressive trails.
Read more »Decorative clay walls as an elegant eye-catcher
The building materials used in the conversion, especially the clay products, reflect the strong roots of Traube Tonbach with its home location. Clay is extracted and processed regionally by CLAYTEC. In addition, the building owners value the natural material for its positive effects on the ambience as well as its multifaceted application possibilities, which can elegantly combine closeness to nature and aesthetics. Naturally moisture- and temperature-regulating, loam ideally balances the room climate and binds dust as well as odours – ideal for the Graube restaurants. Among other things, the building material became an eye-catcher on the exterior façade: in the form of two natural-coloured rammed earth elements, each covering about 40 square metres. This visual highlight was taken up on the lifts on the lower and upper floors. Another piece of jewellery was created in the restaurant “1789”: with the creative technique called “Blackforest Style”, specially developed by the plastering company involved, Lehmbau Glück. CLAYTEC’s ecological clay building materials were also used for this. The wall construction was carried out with the clay adhesive and reinforcement mortar, the clay base coat with straw and the clay top coat coarse bright with straw. The result is an individual and particularly elegant wall design.
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