There is a priceless charm that only nature can provide. It’s weaved within the hum of a river flowing over centuries of stone and in the distant chime of cow bells as they graze among alpine meadows. This is what it feels like to traverse through the winding roads that lead to Lech am Arlberg in Austria. The landscape is perhaps the closest things you’ll find to a storybook paradise, filled with lush greenery, roaming horses and trees that tower so tall, you’re reminded of how awe-inspiring the world is outside of a big city.
Although winter is high season for the Austrian Alps, there is just as much to explore during summer, like breathtaking mountain views, serene hikes, and if you stop by Rote Wand Gourmet hotel, there’s a foodie hotspot nestled within the town’s magical landscape. Ran by Josef Walch, Rote Wand is a picturesque wooden property with a bold design sensibility. Inside, there’s a contrast of alpine practicality with eccentric touches like crimson hallways that look straight out of a Kubrick movie.
“When we built our first underground connection between the main house and what are now the family lodges—formerly the old horse stable—we wanted to reference traditional methods of protecting wood. In the past, timber was sometimes treated with animal blood as a natural weatherproofing technique,” Walch tells Schön! about their signature red. “We even considered recreating this historical approach, but quickly realised it was not exactly the most practical solution. Instead, we chose a deep red colour that visually recalls this tradition while giving it a contemporary interpretation.”
There is a fluidity between Rote Wand and the environment that surrounds it. The mountainous backdrop informs every detail of the hotel down to its name. “The name Rote Wand already existed long before the hotel. It refers to the beautiful mountain at the end of the Zug Valley, near Lake Formarin. In the afternoon sunlight, the mountain takes on a beautiful reddish glow because of its mineral composition,” explains Walch.
Rote Wand has built a reputation for attracting the crème de la crème of gastronomy. They hold several culinary events throughout the year with menus curated by world class chefs. “Chef’s Table has become one of the leading culinary destinations in the Alps, and Rote Wand has built a strong international reputation. For ambitious young chefs, working here provides an exceptional platform to develop their skills and gain international recognition,” says Walch.
It’s an amazing playground for a foodie to try local wine and gourmet cuisine from talent across the globe. Schön! visited during the hotel’s Sommerfest in June which included a diverse array of food-centred experiences like dinner roulette where guests taste the menus of various chefs at different locations across the property. Guglielmo Chiarapini (Ristorante Gilioli), Francesco Dolcetta (FEG Kitchen) and Laura Santosuosso (Sandi Ristorante) collaborated on a menu that reimagined authentic Italian cuisine using ingredients forged from the local land. It was experimental and impressive, using unexpected ingredients to replicate familiar Italian flavours. While Julian Stieger crafted a refined local menu for the Chef’s Table, accompanied by wines from Weinskandal.
Rote Wand exists in tandem with the local environment, so on walks throughout the area you’ll find the wooden home where the chickens sleep and the newborn calves of the cows who produce the milk and butter for the hotel. Everything about the area is interconnected and tells a story of the people who care for the land. “We do not see ourselves as a hotel that simply protects local culture, traditions, heritage, or the environment. We actually live these values every single day. We are not preserving traditions simply because they are old. We believe they remain highly relevant today and can play an important role in shaping the future,” says Walch.
The property is a family affair and the local community is tight knit. Thanks to Walch’s deeply personal connection to the area, there is an ethos preservation rather than exploitation that the tourism industry is so desperately in need of. “Tourism can only be successful in the long term if the local community also benefits. When people in the region thrive, they support tourism, and this creates a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for everyone,” he says. Community so clearly sits at the heart of every single decision in the area, from what time local buses are allowed to operate to preserving the architecture that makes Lech am Arlberg so memorable.
photography. Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel/ Lucy Deverall
words. Shama Nasinde
