On the shores of Lake Weissensee, in harmony with nature.

The Weissensee Nature Park and the Forelle gourmet hotel are in the Austrian province of Carinthia, surrounded by the Gailtal Alps. Sustainability is a given in view of the region’s almost untouched and strictly preserved nature. This also includes the nature park has a well-developed public transport network from which both guests and locals benefit. For example, a train station shuttle takes travellers to the gourmet hotel the Forelle directly at Lake Weissensee, free of charge.

The gourmet hotel is located on one of the few built-up sections of the shore. Almost two-thirds of the shore is natural. The lake and nature set the rhythm of the activities or the cuisine. Time hardly matters, especially not when you swim a lap in the lake in the sun’s first light before being lured back to the hotel by the smell of freshly baked bread.

Hannes Müller is the hotel manager and the head chef at the Restaurant der Forelle. He is constantly creating new dishes for his guests. The unique part about this is that the kitchen only uses ingredients from the region, at most from Austria, and selected, fairly produced products from the Alps-Adriatic area. In addition, the dishes are exclusively seasonal and micro-seasonal. If something does find its way onto the plate that is not in season, guests can be sure that this product has been preserved by the kitchen team, i.e. pickled, preserved, frozen or fermented.

The hotelier family is also committed to supporting local agriculture. They emphasise regionality more than an organic label, but without losing sight of environmental compatibility and animal welfare. As a matter of principle, prices are not negotiated to the detriment of the farmer, and wherever possible, the Müller family refrains from buying in wholesale or intermediate trade. International luxury products? There are none here, and they are not missed.

In addition to being “import-independent”, as Hannes Müller calls his approach, the kitchen of the gourmet hotel can also boast that it is powered entirely by solar energy. When the wood oven isn’t being used, that is.

The popular unplugged evenings take place several times a year. As the name suggests, the cooking is done without electricity. The “heart of the kitchen”, as the old wood-burning oven is affectionately called, is used to create a 6-course surprise menu. The next event is on the 6 September 2023.

By the way: you will hardly find any waste at the Forelle gourmet hotel. For one thing, the kitchen team is constantly finding new, creative ways to put supposed leftovers and organic debris on the plates in a delicious way. What cannot be used is either turned into animal feed for the hotel’s own pigs or energy in a biogas plant.

In addition to the biogas plant and solar power generation, the Müller family relies on its own woodchip plant for heat supply. The wood for this comes from their own sustainably managed forest.

The furnishings were also designed to have as little environmental impact as possible. Wood dominates, also from the region, of course. During the renovation, the old structures and the local architecture were preserved.

The comfortably furnished rooms and suites already offer plenty of space for relaxation. In addition, the gourmet hotel provides the small but charming wellness area “Schonzeit”, where time does seem to stand still. Four saunas and four relaxation rooms invite you to relax and forget about time.

There’s plenty to do for those who want to be more active during their holiday, both in summer and winter. You don’t need to worry about equipment and gear (and can therefore travel comfortably by train!); the Forelle gourmet hotel offers just about everything for hire.

Especially in autumn and winter, cooking enthusiasts will feel particularly at home: This is when various workshops and courses occur in Hannes Müller’s kitchen. Topics of the upcoming workshops include: Autumn Vegetables & Beef, or you can take part in the Koch.Workshop.Tagen (Cook.Workshop.Days) immediately and get to know something different daily.

In the valleys around Lake Weissensee, many old (food) crafts exist to discover and try. Guests who want to complement their holiday with exceptional Slow Food experiences can try making butter, baking bread or grinding flour. More information can be found here.

From the arrival to the activities to the cuisine, guests are invited to indulge in slowness at the gourmet hotel the Forelle. Nothing is a must. Everything is allowed, as the Müller family describes it on their hotel website. Relaxation and enjoyment paired with new knowledge and unique experiences characterise a stay at the Forelle. And all this with respect for nature and a mindful approach to the available resources.