History and Chronicle

With a view to a 300 year-old history you will be informed about the given name:’Kapplhof’.


1729:		The first known owner was called Eva Knäblin. About knowing of coal-mining in the area of ‘Gumpental’ the house was visited by knights. So the vulgar name was found.
1810:		The house changes his owner, the new owner was the Höflehner family.
1917:		The ‘ Kapplhof’ was just a small farmhouse in the mountains. Agriculture was cultivated: barley, turnips, oat, potatoes and grain grew. Blackberry liquor was produced and cranberries were sold.
1930:		first hunting people appear for hunting mountain cocks. Back then there was only one footpath.
1948:		The roof of the house was replaced by a Styrian truss.
1953:		With the help of the chamber of crafts and farmers a ropeway was built. Thenceforward People and goods could be carried.
1957:		Gustav Höflehner asked for permission to build a small lodging. One condition was the standard of the dining-room. The house got a new construction, wooden pillars braced the building and the house was stonewalled. Guestrooms were constructed, very extraordinary: A central heating. Since that time the Knapplhof was acceptable for winter visitors.
1958:		The first passenger-lift was built by Karl Moosbrugger, also called Ortner.
1959:		Karl Moosbrugger sold the lift to Gustav Höflehner. The lift was removed and placed at the Weislinger-Schottwiege. At that time a road was built. One of the first roads of the Ennstal head was built coated by cold asphalt surface.
1965:		the guesthouse was built and first guests were received for Christmas time 1966.
1968:		Gustav Höflehner obtained permission to build a drag lift. This lift was 650 metres long and was built at ‘Ödenwiese’.
1972:		dairy was finished: the stable was removed and a farm building was built.
1975:		A new dining-room was built and it was started to build a holiday home that lies 50 metres above the Knapplhof. This cottage accommodates 4-6 persons.
1976:		two drag lifts, the Gumpenberglift and Salzlecklift were built: it took 6 months to build the 1200 metres long Gumpenberglift and the 1300 metres long Salzlecklift.
1977:
1983:		The enterprise needed more room for agricultural equipment and Pistenraupen: thence it was started the enlargement of the agricultural building. The Barnstable for sheeps and the pigsty were rebuilt for garages. Sheep farming and pig husbandry were given up, deer was bought. 7 hectares grassland were fenced, it was the beginning of red deer breed. The Gumpenberg-track was enlarged for another section. After work was finished there was created a steep slope.
1987:		After a quadrennial planning phase there was built a new main building. With the exception of the dining-room, the old house was completely removed. There were built 20 convenient rooms, the Fichtenstube, the Zirbenstube, the house bar, the reception, a building that connects the passage to the guesthouse with children’s room, sauna and amenity, whirlpool and solarium. The Knapplhof was re-opened after a construction period of just 7 months on the fourth of December.
1990:		the ‘compact snow system’ was built. The first construction phase of the summit station Gumpenberglift started. A water reservoir was made. Timely before the winter’s season started in 1990/1991 Manfred and Helmut could use the compact snow system to make snowy tracks.
1990:		Gustav Höflehner died and so he could not witness the finishing of his compact snow system, but his frontier spirit and his visions are continued by his sons.
1996:		A modern chairlift with a safety cover for 4 persons replaced the drag lift. The Liftstüberl changed into the current Knapplhütte. The Balzplatzl was built.
2001:		the mountain lodge at Stangl-Alp was built anew and started up by the Höflehner Family.
2001:		The second Höflehner drag lift was replaced by a modern chairlift called ‘Höfi Express II’.
2001:		The chalet was built near the mountain lodge of the ‘Höfi Express II’.
2004:		The rooms of the main building were refurbished and the Knapplhof showed his new face, presenting its homepage as well as a modern logo.
2004 - 2009:		Intensive Planungszeit für das neue Natur- und Wellnesshotel Höflehner****
2008:		Ausbau unseres 70 Jahre alten Heustadls in die "Stadl-Sauna"
2009:		16. März: Beginn des Umbaus zum Natur- und Wellnesshotel 30 neue Zimmer Wellnessbereich mit Hallenbad und Aussenbecken, 4 Behandlungsräume, uvm. Die Natur, die Namensgeberin des neuen Betriebes, steht im Mittelpunkt des neuen Hotelkonzeptes. „Herzstück der neuen Philosophie ist die „5-N-Qualität“.