History of the Hotel Ochsen

Several patrician houses from the late Middle Ages shape the townscape of Überlingen. Among them the Hotel Ochsen. The cadre of the Hotel is formed by the patrician house of the ‘Mader Family’ – originally built in the 17. century – and owned by our family for more than 100 years. The origin of the house becomes apparent in its oldest part: The ‘Braustüble’:

Originally this room served as oratory for the Mader Family and is with a age of more than 400 years the oldest part of the hotel. This ‘brew parlour’ is characterized by its cross vault and the wood panelling which compose a cosy and unhurried atmosphere. The wall paintings – with scenes of the traditional Carnival in Überlingen – were created by Victor Mezger and August Schwarz in the 1930s. Although they are much younger than the room itself they suite perfectly in this historical surrounding.

After the Waldschütz Family bought the house in 1896 this room became the ‘Braustüble’ – a brew parlour where the homemade beer was served. Up to the late 1950s the Hotel Ochsen kept on brewing its own beer. With the closure of the Ochsen brewery also the ‘Braustüble’ was closed.