The Habachklause family hotel in Pinzgau

It all began with the great-great-grandfather Karl Wurnitsch, who bought the ironworks from the current neighbouring Baitz family in 1921. He converted the former cottage into an inn with the first guest rooms. He didn't have to think about the name for long. The national park valley behind the house is called Habachtal. The word "Klause" describes the remoteness and valley of the location. Thus 1928 is considered the birth of the Habachklause.

From 1945, Karl Wurnitsch also ran the Thüringer Hütte in Habachtal with his wife Theresa and their daughter Gertraud. Gertraud became known far beyond the Pinzgau region as Klausn Traudl with her legendary Moosbee cake. She met the love of her life in Hubert Maier. The two married in 1940. In 1961, Theresa and Karl Wurnitsch handed over the Habachklause to their daughter Gertraud.

Their son Hubert Maier Jr. and his wife Hildegard took over the family business in 1972. A stable is built in the same year as the handover, as Hubert Jr. is a trained butcher and passionate farmer. Hildegard and Hubert Maier jun. not only steer the fortunes of the inn. They also run a very successful à la carte restaurant in the inn, which is known far beyond the village for its good pub food.

Previously mainly frequented by summer holidaymakers, 1974 marked the beginning of a new era for the Habachklause, as the foundation stone was laid for the Wildkogelbahn cable car. Just two years later, the first comfortable rooms with shower and WC were added. Demand increases, so the farmhouse is built in 1989.

When Horst Maier took over the business in 1995, he converted the existing inn into a 4-star hotel.

Horst is a family man through and through.The most important thing for him is his family.Somehow it makes sense that the Habachklause develops with him in the direction of a family hotel. In 1997, the decision was made to join the "children's hotels" market niche.Year after year, the hotel has expanded and invested in quality.

In 2001, the farmhouse was extended and the first family suites were created. After all, where could a family be better off than in a beautiful, spacious suite? In 2003, the south-facing double rooms were converted into family suites, the Fun & Action Park was created and the children's playrooms and kitchen were extended.

Horst has seen a lot of the world and has extensive international experience in the hotel and travel industry. His ideas about how the children's hotel should look are correspondingly clear. The Baby Club is planned for 2004. With its opening in May 2005, the Habachklause has another important pillar.

The wellness area is expanded in 2013. A project that is particularly close to his wife Ni Putu's heart, as she runs the "Healing Hand Spa" in the Habachklause.

The buffet area and lounge are redesigned in 2015. The following year, the farmhouse is extended, the horse stable and the goat and sheep barn are built and the first snowmaking system is installed. In 2018, the Habachklause joins the "Familotel" cooperation.

Thomas has been running the Malitzhof in Rettenbach since 2020 and inherits it from his maternal grandfather in 2022. Under the motto "With and not against nature", he will turn it into the Malitzgut, a permaculture farm, in the following years.

Horst and his family built up and expanded the Habachklause into one of the best family hotels in the fourth generation. In 2023, he will hand over the business to the fifth generation - his son Thomas and his wife Anja.