Place of power by the water

Lake Lunz awaits you at the end of the Ybbstal cycle path. A wonderful place to arrive and relax in mountain nature. Or to stay - in the new refuge of Lunz.

The host couple Fanny and Christian Metzger recently moved from Vienna to Lake Lunz to make the hotel "Refugium Lunz" a second home for guests as well. With retreats in nature and places of power by the water.

The story of the 'Refugium Lunz' is still brief, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful. One winter night, Joachim Mayr, a carpenter from a Lunz family, and his partner in the Viennese interior design and construction planning office Formdepot, Heinz Glatzl, are walking through snowy Lunz. They see a historic building in Church Square and decide to buy it and fill the original inn with life again - with rooms, a restaurant, and a lounge kitchen for getting together. In Vienna they meet the chef Christian Metzger and his wife, the manager Fanny Metzger. They discover that their heart's project intersects with their dreams - to create a special place for physical and spiritual wellbeing. The Metzgers take over the management of the hotel, move to Lunz to open the revitalised retreat in spring 2023 - and are convinced, says Fanny Metzger, after just a few months on site that "It is a place of absolute peace and strength, ideal for recharging your batteries and simply taking a deep breath of pure air".

Summer freshness relived

Lake Lunz has "touched" the lives of the host couple Metzger time and again. Last winter, the time had finally come. They left their restaurant "Die Metzgerei" in Vienna behind and euphorically followed their gut feeling, which made them feel that Lunz is a good place. Having lived in the city for a long time, they have now experienced the area's appeal to urban people for themselves. The fact that Lunz was once a popular summer resort can still be felt, says Fanny Metzger. You slow down here on the spot and feel your batteries recharge. But the host couple will not indulge in nostalgia in their retreat. They have given it a very contemporary touch. At the moment, therefore, the successful opening of the hotel is the top priority for both of them. "But we take short breaks and are right in the middle of immersing ourselves in the natural life of Lunz", Fanny Metzger describes, adding how convenient it is now for them to have nearby many very close sensory pleasures all around for those who love nature.

Close to the force of nature

This already starts in the retreat. You can experience the power of the element water even if you are only staying here. And hydropower literally right next to the retreat. The water rushes by, which is used to generate electricity on site. "On one side you can hear the Ybbs, on the other the church bell", Fanny Metzger describes the "awesome feeling" of being in the middle of the village while at the same time being right next to the force of nature. The hostess is convinced that people also gain a fresh zest for life in this way. At the same time, she and her husband also rave about the lakeside path around the lake if you prefer to recharge your batteries by being active. They have made this round several times themselves, says Christian Metzger, who calls it gigantic and can thus already give his own first recommendation for the area around the new home. "There is such a variety of things to do within easy reach - cycling, of course, but not only. We're happy to carry that forward as the migrants".

Doing nothing meets sportsmanship

"We try to convey our guiding principle: You don't have to do anything, but you can be a lot", is how Christian Metzger describes the philosophy behind their Lunz retreat. It should be a retreat where you can let yourself go and be pampered, or simply take in nature. Nevertheless, if you feel like it, you can go for a (further) round of cycling at any time - with their rental bikes, for example. Just like breathing in the mountain air on one of the nearby hiking trails that begin practically on the doorstep, some of which the Metzgers themselves already know, others which they have on their to-do list, and can give some tips. For example, there is the three-lake tour to the Mittersee and Obersee lakes, as well as the Maiszinken or the Scheiblingstein, which can often be seen glowing in all colours from the hotel at sunset. If you only want to take a few steps, yoga on the jetty, a ride on the electric boat or a visit to the neighbouring "Haus der Wildnis" awaits you, where you can learn more about the largest primeval forest in the Alpine arc, which also characterises this wild and romantic region. Or you can go mushroom gathering, suggests Christian Metzger, who is primarily responsible for good food here. In his kitchen at the retreat, he wants to use seasonal and regional produce to create a creative place of joy directly in nature. And you can hardly be closer to the green here, he already knows well after his short time in Lunz. "It's definitely a nature spot second to none, with crystal-clear, lake-quiet nights surrounded by dreamlike forests".