The story of the hotel
from 1826 to 1985

The most important post-office of Upper Vinschgau Valley was once situated in Spondinig. In 1826 the today’s Hotel Post Hirsch was built right there by Josef Peer and his family, who - at that time - kept dozens of horses in their mews.

The history of Hotel Post Hirsch is a successfully one and inevitably linked with the tourism-history in Vinschgau Valley: in the second half of the 19^th century Vinschgau Valley became interesting for tourists, the traffic on the Stilfserjoch Pass increased, the tourism in the neighboring comminuties Sulden and Tradoi raised and many travelers from the North gathered the valley and the small village of Spondinig. So Peer family decided to build up a new hotel at the crossing to Stilfserjoch Pass and they called it “Zum Goldenen Hirschen”.

Josef Peer built moreover large horse-mews and bought carriages and soon his hotel and mews became famous in whole Vinschgau Valley. Furthermore he set up a big veranda-hall with wood-covered walls in the ground floor, a sensation then and even nowadays a nostalgic hideaway. Peer’s connections ranged into Italy, Switzerland and Tirol, and at the end of the century the hotel was established: time for enlargement has come and also time for a name-changing: the hotel was baptized “Post Hotel Hirsch”. The enlarged and modern hotel became famous, for excellent and fresh fish-dishes, too: Josef Peer conducted a trout-breed in Reschensee Lake.

When in 1906 the railroad Meran-Mals was inaugurated, Spondinig got a new train station, located just in front of Hotel Post Hirsch. At the opening ceremony participated Hear-Apparent Archduke Ferdinand. He and the other members of the Habsburg-family were already before welcoming guests in Hotel Post Hirsch.

When the I. World War broke out, a new chapter in the long history of the hotel began. The Hotel Post Hirsch was confiscated by the royal military. The military allowed to family Peer to continue the business for military-goals. In the course of the occupation, the hotel accommodates a royal commandership, which was responsible for the logistics of war-goods. Cannons, munitions, horses, equipment, clothes, and provisions had to be transported as well as captives and footstock from railway to the highest war-positions on Mt. Ortler (3905 m above sea level).

The Hotel Post Hirsch was also used for other than intended purposes: it served as military hospital during the whole wartime. 3 medics operated, supplied and healed with the poorest supplies.

After the war, the hotel was relabeled into “Bahn Post Hotel Hirsch” and thanks to the train-station the hotel tied in with the success of then and became once again a welcome venue for travelers and train-users. Josef Peer realized the signs of time and he has furthermore substituted his horses with modern automobiles.

Even nowadays the Hotel Post Hirsch is a touristic highlight in Upper Vinschgau Valley: the characteristic architecture with the steeples serves ever after as brand recognition.

In 1985 the hotel was affiliated to the “conservation of ancient monuments” of the Autonomous Province of Bozen.