Bürgerzimmer im Hotel Orso Grigio in Innichen

The Bürgerzimmer as place of encounter

When the borough council met at the Orso Grigio.

Boutique & Gourmet Hotel Orso Grigio, South Tyrol, Italy

At the Orso Grigio, the Grey Bear, there is a very special guest lounge which has always been known as the “Bürgerzimmer”.

A bottle of red wine with two red wine glasses on a side table in the wood-panelled parlour at the Hotel Orso Grigio in Innichen (c) Photo Hannes Niederkofler

Fire in the open fireplace in the vaulted lobby of the Hotel Orso Grigio in Innichen (c) Photo Hannes Niederkofler

How it came to that: Before Innichen was formed in 1928, there were actually four communities. The villages of Innichen, Vierschach, Winnebach and Innichberg. The last of these consisted of just 17 hill farms/farming families. For that reason, they didn’t have a dedicated administrative building, instead holding their council meetings in the Bürgerzimmer of the Grey Bear.

Roof terrace of the hotel Orso Grigio in San Candido with view over the houses to the mountains (c) Photo Hannes Niederkofler

Today, this continues to be a place for passionate discussions and thoughts about a better world, though council resolutions are now debated elsewhere.