Investor plans hotel in 700-year-old Steinen inn

A 700-year-old former inn in Steinen, canton of Schwyz, is being prepared for conversion into a hotel after researchers uncovered a medieval hearth dating to its construction in 1322, SRF reports.

Building researcher Ulrike Gollnick found a stone wall with ash remains in the Adler. She said it was the first time she had documented a fireplace from the construction period of a building. Hearths are usually altered during later renovations, she said, adding that she had examined nearly 500 houses.

The former inn also retains traces of fires from tiled stoves in its main room, an ornate beam-and-plank ceiling and small flame-shaped marks burned into the walls. Heritage specialist Monika Twerenbold said the marks reflect popular piety and were likely intended to keep good fortune in the house and ward off evil. A bedroom on the second residential floor remains largely in its original condition, apart from the floor.

Owner Beat Auf der Maur, a local investor and timber construction company owner, plans to restore the building and reopen it as a hotel. A trained carpenter, he said he was impressed by the precision of the work carried out 700 years ago and wanted to make its quality visible to visitors. A special solution will be needed to meet fire-safety requirements.

About 70 timber buildings dating from around 1300 are known in the Schwyz basin, which is home to some of Europe’s oldest wooden houses. Twerenbold said she welcomed every newly discovered medieval house that could be preserved.