History resort

First documented mention of the original premises, the ‘Weisses Rössl’ post station.

Franz Jakob Werzer from Feldkirchen acquired the ‘Weißes Rössl’ post house. This marked the beginning of the WERZERS hotel dynasty.

With the Südbahn railway line to Vienna and Italy, Pörtschach became a meeting place for the aristocracy and artists, including Emperor Franz Joseph I, Mahler and Brahms.

The Werzer family commissioned the construction of the bathhouse based on plans by architect Josef Victor Fuchs – a gem of Wörthersee architecture.

The first tennis tournament is held in Pörtschach, and Anna Werzer donates the Anna Werzer Gold Trophy. Pörtschach becomes a centre for international tennis. Photograph from around 1930.

Following the untimely death of Robert Werzer, Anna Werzer (née Stossier, from the Wallerwirt) took over the running of the hotel empire and became a pioneering figure in the Carinthian hotel industry.

Cultural and technical highlights: the ‘Koschat’ song as a christening present, the seaplane ‘Nelly’, and a visit to the Graf Zeppelin airship.

The Duke of Windsor and Wally Simpson at an international tennis tournament in Pörtschach on 15 August 1937.

The bathhouse has been listed as a protected building in order to honour its historical roots as a former swimming school and to permanently preserve its turn-of-the-century architectural charm.

Following a comprehensive refurbishment under the direction of BM Ing. Hans-Werner Frömmel, it will be transformed from the last historic Wörthersee bathing house of its kind into a modern lakeside spa.

With two hotels (170 rooms), the historic bathhouse, the Bootshaus café-restaurant and an extensive sports complex, the Werzers Hotels are now one of the most versatile destinations on Lake Wörthersee.

At its peak, the Werzers Empire comprised 22 establishments covering an area of 93,000 m² and offering more than 400 beds. (Source: History of the Establishments)