In a few days there will be Martin’s goose on the Saurüsselalm. Up there, about three quarters of an hour’s walk above Bad Wiessee, mountain hikers can fortify themselves with typical alpine dishes at affordable prices. Among other things, the community agreed with the local landowner Franz Josef Haslberger. Two years ago, she agreed to the plans of the building materials contractor from Freising and the Miesbach district office then let him upgrade the Söllbachaualm, which was once rather remote and reserved solely for cattle farming, into today’s Saurüsselalm. Whether he was actually allowed to do that in the end is now an open question.
Because the legal dispute about this will likely go to the second instance. By the time the judiciary has finally decided the case, this year’s St. Martin’s goose will have long since been eaten. It is currently being prepared by the kitchen team of Helmut Kohl’s former personal chef and current posh caterer Martin Frühauf. Since the end of 2021, Haslberger has been serving dishes at the Saurüsselalm that seem typical and affordable to some and not to others. In any case, the Association for the Protection of the Mountains sees the whole event-loving mess on Lake Tegernsee as a prime example of the progressive gentrification in Bavaria’s mountains, which is why it has filed a lawsuit against the approval for the conversion with the support of the Tegernsee Valley Protection Association.
In the first instance, the Munich Administrative Court largely rejected this lawsuit after an on-site visit last year and only declared the 15 extra events plus minibus shuttle service for closed companies to be unlawful. Haslberger was dissatisfied with this, and so both he and the plaintiffs pushed for an appeal. According to its own information, the higher Bavarian Administrative Court has now approved this. However, it remains unclear when he will reopen the whole matter.
Before a new court hearing, it will take at least a few months for legal briefs to be exchanged. Due to the lack of legal force of the first judgment, Hüttenwirt Frühauf can continue to organize further events for closed groups. Just like in July, when registered guests were able to have a “delight” prepared by four top chefs from the valley for 249 euros per person. They didn’t have to hike up the mountains to get this more typical alpine meal, but could be chauffeured up the 120 meters – but no longer via the usual route. Because it partly belongs to the state forests, which are arguing with Haslberger about the passage of timber trucks and have blocked the path to the Eventalm for the shuttles.
The busy building materials contractor has now had the two bridge foundations on the left and right of the state-owned Söllbach torn away again.
(Photo: Matthias Köpf)
The shuttle service was therefore a bit more rustic, but this is considered rustic by customers. In any case, the path of the tractor with the trailer led through the middle of the Söllbach, which also belongs to the Free State and is managed by the state forests, which is why the ford made of river stones that Haslberger created in it is also controversial. The district office recently refused subsequent approval for the ford, and Haslberger also had the concrete bridge foundations that had been concreted on the banks torn away a few weeks ago, just as he had already removed an unauthorized dance floor up there and converted a two-story goat stable with a balcony into a one-story one had it dismantled.
The guests on the alpine pasture don’t let all this spoil their fun. But the district office would have much preferred it if Haslberger hadn’t let an agreement with the plaintiffs that was apparently already within reach fall through. Instead, judges now have to make a judgment again.