Hotel Bären Chronicle

From a roadhouse to a modern Black Forest hotel

The Isele family lays the foundation stone of the Hotel Bären

  • On April 4th 1887: Josef Isele applies for a “permit to run a restaurant facility”. The building is to be located near the Titisee railway station.
  • May 13th 1887: Purchase of land at Hirschbuhl as the location for the today’s hotel.
  • May 1888: On May 2nd 1888, the Neustadt regional office grants Josef Isele licence to run the Bären  Inn, which opens on May 19th.
  • October 16th 1890: Josef Isele buys additional land in the mountains near Hirschbuhl in order to expand the Bären facility.
  • 1896: Emil Dengler, son-in-law of Josef Iser, acquires a permit to sell alcohol from the Neustad regional office.
  • March 19th 1899: Upon Josef Isele’s death, his heir sell the hotel to Louis Ganter, a brewery manager, and to Otto Huglin, a private investor from Freiburg.

The Guth family was running the Bären since 1900


  • May 16th 1900: Less than 2 years later, Adolf Gut from Falkau takes over the Hotel Bären and Inn from Louis Ganter and Otto Huglin.
  • March 19th 1901: The main building and Dependance burn practically to the wall level.
  • June 17th 1934: Alfred Guth, son of Alfons Guth, takes over the Bären Inn.
  • 1949: Alfred Guth renovates Bären after the French occupation groups decide not to occupy the facility.
  • 1961: Another fire in the Hotel Bären. This one is extinguished relatively quick.

The Sauter family converts the Bären Inn into a modern Black Forest hotel.

  • April 1st 1970: Adam and Harald Sauter, experienced caterers from Heidelberg, take over the Hotel and the Inn from Alfred Guth.
  • 1976 bis 1981: Renovation and  modernization of the building.
  • Summer 1981: After Adam Sauter’s death, Heide and Harald Sauter run the Hotel Bären on their own.
  • December 19th 1982: After only 10 months of construction work, a new wing of the facility is opened in the forest. News in the hotel: fire protection system and state-of-the-art, energy efficient heat pumps, which recover heat from water to hat hot utility water, swimming pool and sauna.
  • 1988: One hundred years of the Bären facility meanwhile, the entrance section was renovated as well.
  • 1995: Former catering section converted into a wine bar.
  • 1997: Construction of a wellness pavilion on two floors.
  • 2004: Thomas and Stefan Sauter take over the Hotel Bären from their parents - Heide and Harald Sauter.
  • 2005: The Hotel Bären repainted – the main facility and the forest wing are even more integrated.
  • 2006: Renovation of the restaurant rooms.
  • December 27th 2011: At night, on 27th/28th December 2011, a massive fire destroys a large portion of the tradition-rich facility. The damages come to millions. 
  • 2012: The Sauter family decides to rebuild the Hotel Bären.

The Sauter family and the new Hotel Bären

  • 2013: Digging a spade for the new construction.
  • 2013 & 2014: Creation of the new structure and conversion of a wing of the facility which suffered minor damage from the fire.
  • Summer 2014: The new Hotel Bären opens its doors as a modern Black Forest hotel.