Hostrory
The story of “Strandhotel Leopold” begins in 1850, when the then “Lederer Keusche” was bought by Mrs. Elise Kornhäusl. Previously, this had been a leather tannery, with the stream channeled through the building itself – through the same area occupied by the hotel lobby today.The shoreline of the Wörthersee came almost up to the dining room. In storms and high water, the lake came dangerously close to the building. Just beyond the swimming area, there was a large lumber yard, from which the barges would embark to sell the wood in Klagenfurt. It remained there until the years between the two World Wars.
In 1855, this establishment was one of the very first in Velden to be licensed as a hospitality business. “Strandhotel Leopold” has been in our family’s possession ever since, now run by the 5th generation of our family.
The foundation walls of the original building were built from large rocks, with the local rivers supplying this raw material which, in today’s world at least, is quite out of the ordinary. The walls were then insulated with reeds from the lake and then covered with roughcast plaster. The four-storey building was built by Italian construction workers from the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy to a design drawn up by architect Baumgartner – a design that was in keeping with the architecture to be found along the shores of the Wörthersee.
In the utility rooms in the heart of the hotel, it is still possible to make out the vaulted construction and enormous thickness of the walls. The house bar was formerly part of the dining room and is, to this day, adorned by an almost 150-year-old wooden ceiling.
“Strandhotel Leopold” continued as a hospitality establishment until 1939. During the turmoil of war, our house served temporarily as a shelter and was also occupied by the military. World War II certainly did not leave us unscathed. With the war over, our hotel had to be essentially re-conceived from the ground up.
Due to a general economic boom, tourism in Velden also began to pick up, with our first major remodeling efforts taking place in 1962 and 1965. In addition to ongoing renovations, we also built rooms and vacation apartments with all the modern comforts throughout the main house during the 1980’s.
Though now in our 5th generation, we are dedicated now more than ever to making renovations and investments in our hotel that enhance its family character and its warm, welcoming atmosphere.
We invite you to join us on a journey back through time, across the last 150 years of our family history.
