How the Name “Bräurup” Came About
In our blog, we regularly take a brief look back at the history of our hotel and our region. This time, we’re focusing on the history of the name “Bräurup” and shedding light on why our hotel is called what it is today.
The Schwertlgut in the Venice of the Pinzgau
In 1823, Rupert Schwaiger and his wife Katharina bought and ran the Altherrische Schwertlgut Bräuanwesen, as it was then known. He brewed very good beer for the time and was highly regarded by the population. The brewery inn was always well-attended, Mittersill in upheaval.
At this time, Ignaz Ritter von Kürsinger, one of the most important caretakers in the village, was particularly keen to build the Salzach dam. The so-called Kürsinger dam between Hollersbach and Mittersill was intended to protect the lower-lying village from repeated floods, which also earned it the nickname “Venice of the Pinzgau”.
Bräurup: A name from Kürsinger’s circle
Kürsinger himself is one of the iconic figures of the region and was made an honorary citizen of Mittersill in 1841. Previously, on September 3, 1841, he and 26 other men made the first ascent of the Großvenediger, laying the foundation for regional tourism. When he had a first refuge built in the Obersulzbachtal in 1842, not far from today’s Kürsingerhütte, the locals and workers kept saying: “Let’s go to the brewer Rupert’s”, later “Let’s go to Bräu Rup’s” for a beer. As this was very well received by the innkeepers and the old Schwertlgut was increasingly forgotten, the name “Bräurup” was derived from it over the years.
Closure and renaissance of the brewery
The “Bräurup” was run as a brewery until 1916, but then had to be sold to the Kaltenhausen brewery due to a shortage of raw materials caused by the war. This closed all the smaller breweries it had bought in order to move the entire production to Hallein.
Today, the inn of yesteryear has become a large 4-star hotel in one of Austria’s most beautiful tourist regions. For twelve years now, there has been its own brewery again, which is now run by Mr. Gassner, the head of the hotel, as a brewer and certified beer sommelier. He draws on an old brewing tradition that dates back to 1681.
Die interessante Geschichte unseres Hauses zeigt sich an allen Ecken und Enden, auch online: Auf unserer Homepage finden Sie passend dazu die Chronik der Familie Gassner. Besuchen auch Sie unser historisches Hotel mit modernen Annehmlichkeiten – wir freuen uns auf Ihre unverbindliche Urlaubsanfrage!
