Sacher (hotel)

In 1876, Eduard Sacher bought a Renaissance building located behind the State Opera , and opened the Hotel de l'Opera with a restaurant in it. As the son of the famous inventor of Sacher's cake, Franz Sacher , Edward quickly gained popularity and fame as a deli. As a result, the hotel was renamed Sacher.

In 1880, Edward married Anna Maria Fuchs , twenty-one-year-old daughter of a Viennese butcher. Anna began to help her husband in business, and after a strong deterioration in the health of Edward completely took over the management of the hotel. In 1892, Edward Sacher died, and his widow continued the business. She continued to sign menus and letters in the name of her deceased husband ^[1] . For that time, Anna Sacher was an extremely emancipated woman. She appeared with a cigar and her favorite French bulldog , whom the wreaths called the bulldog Sacher. Anna Sacher introduced social insurance for her employees, began to give them Christmas presents and pay for their stay at the resorts.

From its very foundation, the Sacher Hotel was considered one of Vienna's best places, and in 1871 it was ranked among the suppliers of the courtyard of the emperor of Austria-Hungary. After the death of Eduard Sacher, his privilege was also granted to his widow. At the same time, there was a tradition of dinner at the Sacher restaurant before visiting the Opera. Hotel Sacher has become a social institution.

Politicians, high-ranking ambassadors and representatives of European countries often met in restaurant stalls. Soon the hotel restaurant became the place where the fate of the peoples of Europe decided. In 1907, negotiations were held between Hungarian Prime Minister Kalman Sell and Ernest von Körber in one of the booths, as a result of which a new program of relations between Austria and Hungary was adopted ^[1] .

Anna Sacher was one of the first in Vienna to acquire a refrigerator, and also ordered the construction of a winter garden so that distinguished guests could even enjoy fresh fruit even in winter ^[1] . Despite its popularity, the hotel did not manage to avoid economic problems after the First World War .

Shortly before her death in 1930, Anna retired. Only after her death did it become known that the hotel was mired in debt, and there were not so many assets left. In 1934, the Sacher Hotel was officially declared bankrupt .

Lawyer Hans Gürtler with his wife Poldi and hoteliers Josef and Anna Ziller purchased an abandoned house and reconstructed it at a modern level, having installed heating systems, electrics, hot and cold water in all rooms. For the first time, Sacher cake was sold not only within the walls of the hotel, but also on the street. Soon the hotel again became a favorite meeting place for residents of Vienna. The hotel Sacher hosted a banquet on the occasion of the wedding of Princess Irma Vindishgretskoy and Prince Franz Weikersheim. During a visit to Vienna, the European aristocracy stayed at the Sacher Hotel, which again made it a meeting place for aristocracy, art and politics. Even the King of Great Britain, Edward VIII, was a guest of the Sacher Hotel ^[1] .

Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938 put an end to this. During the Second World War, the hotel building was practically not damaged. After the liberation of Vienna, the center of the city was occupied by Soviet troops, later this part of the city passed into the hands of the British.

In 1951, the Gürtlers and Zillers received their property back. By this time, Joseph had already died. The hotel again needed a major overhaul. In 1962, Anna Ziller died, and the hotel passed into the full possession of the Gürtler family. In 1967, the hotel received a state award and the right to use the state emblem commercially. In 1970, the management of the hotel was taken over by Rolf Gürtler, who soon died as a result of an accident, and the hotel was transferred to his son Peter. Peter Gürtler bought the Austrian Courtyard Hotel in Salzburg in 1989 and renamed it Hotel Sacher Salzburg . After his death in 1990, the management of the family business passed into the hands of his first wife, Elizabeth Gürtler-Mautner, and after her their daughter Alexandra.

• Ernst Hagen: Hotel Sacher. In deinen Betten schlief Österreich . Zsolnay, Wien 1976, ISBN 3-552-02827-7
• Ingrid Haslinger: Kunde - Kaiser. Die Geschichte der ehemaligen kuk Hoflieferanten . Schroll, Wien 1996, ISBN 3-85202-129-4 .
• János Kalmár, Mella Waldstein: KuK Hoflieferanten Wiens . Stocker, Graz 2001, ISBN 3-7020-0935-3 . S. 10-15.
• Monika Kellermann: Das große Sacher-Backbuch. Mehlspeisen, Torten und Gebäck . Seehamer-Verlag, Weyarn 1994, ISBN 3-929626-28-4
• Franz Maier-Bruck: Das große Sacher-Kochbuch. Die österreichische Küche . Seehamer-Verlag, Weyarn 1994, ISBN 3-929626-27-6
• Leo Mazakarini: Das Hotel Sacher zu Wien . Gräfe und Unzer, München 1977, ISBN 3-7742-5018-9
• Emil Seeliger: Hotel Sacher. Weltgeschichte beim Souper . Verlag Schaffer, Berlin 1942
• Wilhelm Fraenkel: Etablissement Eduard Sacher in Wien: Allgemeine Bauzeitung , Jahrgang 1877 (online at ANNO )

•   Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sacher Hotel
• Hotel website
• Geschichte, Hotelkritik und Fotos des Sacher in cosmopolis.ch