The »ENGEL« – History
The traditional and the modern to welcome you
»Kaspelhof«
The ENGEL inn is located in the Alpersbach district of Hinterzarten at 1,030 m altitude. It was in 1446 that the “Kaspelhof”, as it was then called, was first mentioned in records.
The inn was given its name only a good 150 years later when Caspar Steinhart took over the building in 1603. As time went by “Caspar’s Hof” became “Kaspershof” and then “Kaspelhof” in accordance with the local dialect.
The following Generations
The first licence was granted to Josef Steierl in 1837. He opened a pub on his farm. The legal right to keep an inn was passed down henceforward from one farmer to the next.
When Paul and Sophie Steierl, the grandparents of the present owner, took over “Kaspelhof” in 1928, the inn was already known as the “Engel” to its guests. How the inn got this popular name is no longer known. It was Paul Steierl who opened the first guestrooms.
On 29 August 1949 he had the shocking experience of seeing the farm go up in flames within a few minutes. He was, however, able to rebuild it in a surprisingly short time and, before Christmas, on 20 December, the family moved into the new “Kaspelhof”. In 1962, Albert and Gertrud Steierl, Klaus Steierl’s parents, succeeded Paul and Sophie Steierl in the Engel.
Today’s inn
Today’s innkeepers, Klaus and Michaele Steierl, have run the Engel since 1992 with great creativity, commitment and passion. Under their management, the inn with its 15 guestrooms, two flats and pleasant restaurant has come to be what you can see and enjoy today.
The next generation has also decided to go in for gastronomy. Their sons Christopher and Adrian have both trained as cooks, their daughter Hanna is studying restaurant management.
