In the same year that the English singer Chris Andrews was awarded the “Golden Record” for his number one hit “Yesterday Man”, Stefan Kastner’s grandmother Antonie Ley took over the Waldgasthof Buchenhain. That was in 1966 – the song, in which the pop star sings about the disappointing end of a love affair, became a million-seller in the mid-sixties and became exceptionally popular in Germany.
The beer garden of the Waldgasthof Buchenhain is also particularly popular – it was voted “Favorite Beer Garden 2021 with over 500 seats” in May. For the innkeepers Stefan Kastner and Rina den Drijver it was not the first award of this kind and on Friday, August 12th, the new success, so to speak the “crowning glory” among the beer gardens, will be celebrated with music: Chris Andrews, now 79 years old and German citizen since 2016, will come to Buchenhain and, in addition to “Yesterday Man”, will probably sing other hits such as “Pretty Belinda” and certainly some German-language songs. In addition, the singing duo Judith & Mel, who became known in the hit scene with songs like “Land im Norden” or “Die goldenen Jahre” and appearances at the Grand Prix of Folk Music, appear. The motto of the concert is “The times were beautiful”, after a fresh sip from the beer mug you can sway with foam at the mouth, so to speak. “We want to thank our loyal guests,” the organizers explain.
25,000 participants took part in the vote, and another beer garden from the district came third
In the nationwide “Favorite Beer Garden” competition, which is organized by the entrepreneurial company “Wirtshaus- und Biergartenfreunde” from Feldkirchen-Westerham, the participants vote on locations of three different sizes (up to 200 seats, up to 500, from 500 seats). Around 25,000 participants took part in the most recent edition and the district of Munich is not only represented in the category of over 500 places with the Waldgasthof as the front runner, but can also come up with the Mühlenpark beer garden in Garching, which took third place.
You don’t have to overrate such ranking kings, but the spacious, traditional beer garden in the Baierbrunn district of Buchenhain is in fact idyllically situated on the edge of the Isarhangwald, offers space for up to 800 guests under chestnut trees, has a service and self-service area, a grill station and a bar. In its vicinity is not only the S-Bahn station of the same name, it is also easy to reach by bike or car. Located about 15 kilometers south of the city center, it is a popular destination.
The Waldgasthof Buchenhain is a popular destination – not only for cyclists.
(Photo: Schunk)
Stefan Kastner runs the hotel inn with the beer garden as a family business in the fourth generation, together with his Dutch wife Rina den Drijver. The culinary maxim is “Bavarian with sophistication” or as Kastner once put it: “We want to manage the balancing act of presenting upscale, home-style cuisine without any fancy stuff”. The fact that jazz or country combos play on the stage in the garden from time to time contributes to its attractiveness. Schlager sounds will certainly dominate this Friday evening.
Admission to the concert with Chris Andrews and Judith & Mel is free (starts at 7 p.m.). Reservations are welcome at https://hotelbuchenhain.de/tisch-reservieren/ or by phone at 089/744 88 40. If the event cannot take place on Friday due to the weather, the date will be moved to Saturday, August 13th. Further information is available at www.hotelbuchenhain.de.