Our proud heritage

The Muxelhof

"What you have from your fathers, acquire it to own it", already wrote Goethe. Following this beautiful thought, it is our great pleasure to invite you to our newly revitalized Muxelhof, just a few meters away from Mohnenfluh****.

It was a matter of the heart for us to carry on this so beautiful heritage, to preserve the values of a precious culture and at the same time to go with open senses into a healthy and fulfilling future.

The work at Muxelhof gives so much back. It grounds us, reconnects us with the cycle of nature and the passing of the seasons. Our sheep, goats, rabbits and the Grauvieh cows with their calves want to be lovingly cared for and nurtured so that the Muxelhof remains what it has always been: a great happiness that truly touches.

Muxelhof - Economy

Vorarlberg's highest, year-round mountain farm at 1750 meters above sea level.
With our concept of mother cow husbandry, the natural and animal-friendly rearing of the calves is important to us. Exclusively our guests of the Hotel Mohnenfluh can enjoy our special beef.

Heritage. Passion. Responsibility.

Hotel manager and mountain - Stefan Muxel

People like Stefan Muxel define success by the happiness they feel.

The 4-star hotel manager and host in the Hotel Mohnenfluh in Oberlech had long nurtured a dream of caring responsibly for nature, which he loves, and for the home that keeps him grounded – and making an active contribution to the agricultural heritage of its culture. So the hotel manager has, since 2012, also been a mountain farmer. With conviction and with a whole heart. With respectful give and take and a lot of authenticity and calm, he cultivates his Muxelhof … and tells in LA LOUPE about his decision and his honest joy.

Atelier

LaMarie

In the middle of nature, in the last house on the street, in the Muxelhof. Next to cows, goats and a donkey. Here Marie-Theres Has opened her studio LaMarie and with it a workspace, an exhibition space and a small home for art and creativity. For painting, literature and a small store. And especially for the exhibition of Johannes landscape photographs, which can be viewed here.

www.lamarie.at

Photograph

Johannes Muxel

Growing up in Oberlech, Johannes was busy exploring it from an early age. On skis, on a moped and above all through the lens of his camera. In addition to his enthusiasm for gastronomy, to which he devoted himself during his training at the hotel management school and subsequent further training as a sommelier and bartender, photography, especially landscape photography, became his great passion.


Before and especially after his evening service at the hotel bar, Johannes Muxel repeatedly photographed the landscape in and around Lech and the special moods of the different seasons. In doing so, he has succeeded in capturing the spectacular nature of the Arlberg. His photographs can be seen in the Atelier LaMarie.

Our animals at the Muxelhof

Original gray cattle

Autochthonous, silver to iron-gray cattle breed from the side valleys of Tyrol.

This breed was neglected for a long time and has recently experienced its renaissance. Currently they belong to the endangered species. Their richness in milk, their good feed conversion and their fertility make our "Grauelen" a perfect breed for the high alpine regions.

Not only the high quality milk is predestined for the production of mountain cheese in exclusive quality, but also the meat of the original "Grauvieh" ranks for gourmets next to the Galloway and the Black Angus cattle among the top five in the world.

Montafoner Stone Sheep

This small-framed and frugal breed is one of the highly endangered sheep breeds in Austria.

A variety of wool colors is characteristic of the Montafon Steinschaft.  It is very robust and is characterized by its excellent meat quality. We are proud to be able to contribute our part to the preservation of the stock.

The Montafonersheep is an endangered breed of sheep and was only found sporadically in the farthest Montafon. It was displaced by larger and more fattening breeds. From 1989 on, typical animals were purchased and a studbook was established to avoid inbreeding. Since then, the breed has been bred throughout Vorarlberg.

Since 2019, there is the new "seal of quality", our sheep ear mark. If you discover this sheep ear mark on a wool product, you can be sure that you are holding a valuable, original and sustainable product from the Montafon Stone Sheep.

Donkeys

These are clever and adaptive animals. Their reputed stubbornness is often due to your caution.

In the past, donkeys were often used as beasts of burden and farm animals, but were gradually replaced by horses.
However, the donkey is considered to be tougher and more robust than a horse.

With their soft coats and velvety noses, donkeys are even great cuddlers and pet animals to some. Donkeys enjoy contact with other creatures. Researchers even talk about the most sociable mammal on earth.

Not all donkeys are gray, even though gray and brown dominate as coat color. However, there is a wide variety of coat colors from piebald to white. A few typical donkey characteristics can often be found.

Goat and human - a long history

Goats are nosey, unpredictable, picky and also real climbers.

Together with the sheep and the dog, the goat is one of the oldest domestic animals ever. Archaeologists estimate that man tamed the goat more than 9,000 years ago. So goats and humans have a long history - it's no coincidence that Zeus was raised by the goat Almatheia in the legend of the gods.

As capricious as the goat may be, it is a herd animal and therefore sociable. In a herd of goats, there is a strict hierarchy that is respected by all. The lead goat leads the herd to feed and rest. If a goat is rebellious, a wry glance from a higher-ranking goat is usually enough to put it in its place.

Chicken happiness at the Muxelhof

On the farm, of course, one of the oldest and most popular pets in the world must not be missing - the chicken. People are said to have kept chickens for over 3000 years.

Chickens belong to the pheasant family. They are not good at flying, but they can run quite fast. Chickens prefer to live in small groups and follow a precise hierarchy that decides who gets to eat first. Incidentally, whoever wins the fight also gets to choose the roost first.

As we know from the early crowing of the rooster, chickens are absolute early risers and so delight us already in the morning hours with their cheerful clucking.

A little paradise

Happy animals. Unspoilt nature. Inspiring meetings.

Today it is our proud heritage, a place of rest and a lively place to play, but once it was essential for existence. "Living on the Schloss", as Oberlech was once known, was not easy.. And even today, the Muxelhof at 1,750 metres above sea level is still the highest agricultural land in Vorarlberg that's farmed all the year round.

The history goes back a long way: The farm is first mentioned in records as early as 1660. During the centuries that followed, several Walser families (speakers of an Alemannic German dialect) lived in and farmed the "Schlössle".

In 1872 Anna Maria Gassner married the son, Johann Engelbert Strolz. Their youngest daughter Germana took over the farm and married Josef Muxel, born in  1888, which marked the entry of the Muxel family to the "Schlössle".

The farm has been in family ownership to the present day – and only a few years ago Stefan Muxel, your host in the Hotel Mohnenfluh, bought the farm from his cousin.

Stefan was now able to realise his dream of the "Muxelhof", which he had long been nurturing and which he today manages personally in a traditional and sustainable manner. He is a mountain farmer motivated by passion and conviction, here cultivating a little paradise for humans and animals – and their healthy, respectful life together.

Direct online booking

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Take the opportunity to book directly via our website and benefit from our best price guarantee. At the same time, you have the advantage of being able to contact our check-in team directly. So book today and secure the best price as well as personal support from our professional team.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!
You are also welcome to contact us directly

+43 5583 3311 or info(at)mohnenfluh.com