1280 Krone

Bringing with it over 700 years of history, architecture and whispered tales, design hotel 1280 Krone, the oldest inn in Geisingen, found in the mountainous southwest German state of Baden-Württemberg, tells a bold new story with a radical restoration of charged heritage. Geographically sandwiched between Stuttgart and Zürich, the hotel is equidistant of Lake Constance, the Danube Valley and the Black Forest, 1280 Krone attracts wanderlusters who travel in style. 

Unloved and listing, 1280 Krone’s colourful history was in danger of going to ruin, along with the crumbling walls that witnessed the old inn as a bijou manor house, a residential building, a farmer's store and even a pizzeria. Stripped back, then infinitesimally built upon with a delicate purity of form and respect for materials, Krone is made up of four neighbouring houses including a barn, presenting a jigsaw puzzle of heritage charm.

Owner Christoph von Bothmer brought on board local architect Markus Uhrig to create cohesion between the assemblage of structures, adding a modern extension as well as using local woodworkers and craftsmen to enhance and restore interiors honestly and authentically.

The result is remarkable in its cultured approach that highlights the very heart and soul of Krone. The laid-bare core of Krone breathes history with a sheer tactility that comes from a patina of original stone walls, wide-plank timber flooring, exposed bare timber roofs, glass, stripped-back staircases, open red brickwork and wooden casement beams that cut assuredly through a room. On its exterior, hanging window frames and gates speak to its past as the old Krone barn and the spaces where cattle were once kept is now a new contemporary vision of pure, modern comfort. 

The authentic rusticity is perfected with bold and confident portrayals of the house’s natural feel and muted materials while limiting the interior decor to absolute design simplicity courtesy of oatmeal linens, gorgeous brassed pendant lights and strong-formed designer furnishings. Blackened steel creates design features in the bedrooms and bathrooms, egg-shaped bathtubs and freestanding bathroom sinks by Vallone and walk-in showers add an urban contemporary edge.

Raw architecture, rusticity and a gallery of textured heritage narrate this design hotel outpost from its façade of dandy red shutters and atmospheric vaulted cellars - home to the hotel's snug bar linked by a brass-clad tunnel to the tales of twisted loft rafters and atmospheric exposed history. 

Hotel 1280 Krone is a blueprint for considerate conservation and is a rare find that traces its rich history with unfused style, pleasingly presided over by consummate hosts.  

With 29 bedrooms scattered between the three buildings, the rooms and suites come in a pleasing selection of choice, as befitting a centuries-old building. In fact, Krone celebrates the quirks, working around them to create rooms to suit all travellers, layered with an obscured colour palette of latte creams, milky greys and blackened steel. 

Looking for something snug? Hunker down in ‘Cosy Room’ with its adorable nooks and crannies. Signature Rooms come with charm abound including the restored rafters that create the perfect heritage demarcation. Staying longer? Book a studio with mini kitchenette and room for an extra bed. The suites are where Krone show what they are capable of, dialling up the creature comforts and luxury additions. Hard to resist is the Spa Suite, set over two floors and built into the atmospheric roof truss, it has a private sauna and a loggia. 

Breakfast is quite the event at 1280 Krone, with a supercharged menu that could happily roll into brunch and keep you going up into the mountains. Small plates grace the table made up of local cheese, a selection of meats, prepared eggs, salmon, yoghurt sprinkled with granola, fruit, fresh bread and homemade jams accompanied by crafted coffee and pressed juice.

As the day marches on, make use of the atmospheric cellar-bar which you enter via an anticipation-building golden tunnel. Popular with locals, regulars and visitor alike, get alongside the in-crowd by ordering a gin fizz or the in-house aperitivo, and there is also a special beer menu plus regional wines to savour. Nearby to the hotel is also famed restaurant Zum Hecht which you’ll be encouraged to visit. Helmed by Chef Robert Müller for over 20 years, also joint managing director of Krone, enjoy his regional, European-fused food that’s as honest as it is mouth-wateringly delicious.