Hotel Schwarzwand Lech – a Austrian Retreat with Italian Charme

If you’re looking for a place to unwind surrounded by breathtaking mountain scenery, Hotel Schwarzwand in Lech is your place. Owner Birgit Elsensohn, an architect living in Florence, took over the hotel from her father and has now turned it into an aesthetically pleasing sanctuary. Together with her daughter Marlène, born and raised in Florence, the two women look after their guests with lots of Tuscan-Austrian charm.

Since the takeover last year, a lot has happened in the house built in 1965 – the former bed and breakfast has become one of the top addresses for design fans. So far, 12 of the 24 rooms have been refurbished by Birgit with great attention to detail. In every room you can feel the passion with which the architect has implemented her ideas with great sensitivity. Large panorama windows allow the outside to merge with the inside. Italian marble, high-quality loden and linen fabrics, a soft and soothing colour palette, Mondrian-inspired wood panelling and lots of handmade furniture: the Schwarzwand has become stylish, but down-to-earth retreat for aesthetes and pleasure seekers. Something that I also noticed immediately when entering my room was the strikingly pleasant indoor climate – due to the organic lime-plastered walls and the natural wood used.

“We want to create a refuge in the midst of the spectacular Lech mountain landscape where well-travelled and discerning friends of beautiful things, especially art and culture lovers, feel at home,” explains Birgit Elsensohn, who studied architecture in Florence and has lived there for more than 30 years. Over the years, she has studied historic buildings and dedicated herself to renovating historic palazzi and country houses.

Another highlight is the newly designed bar – a cozy and inviting place for good conversations. Huge panorama windows now open up stunning views of the almost unspoilt mountain landscape. A great place to work, to relax or to gather around the fireplace.

The restaurant has already received a slight make-over and will be redesigned and reimagined in another renovation step. Until then, the kitchen team will be serving fine Italian-Austrian specialities, including vitello tonnato, ossobuco, classic pasta dishes and a good Wiener schnitzel. The wellness area with sauna landscape will also be adapted to the new style of the Schwarzwand in one of the next phases of renovation. Until then, guests can enjoy the successful interior design of the newly designed rooms and the bar area and spend relaxing hours in Lech’s newest refuge.

Hotel Schwarzwand – Dorf 308 – 6764 Lech am Arlberg, Austria – T 0043 5583 2469 – hotel@schwarzwand.com