Luisenhöhe – Two Keys on the Schauinsland's shoulder

High on the western flank of the Schauinsland massif, 600 metres above Freiburg, the Luisenhöhe looks out over the Black Forest and the Rhine plain from inside the UNESCO Black Forest Biosphere Reserve. A Kurhotel of one name or another has stood on this plateau since the nineteenth century, but the building guests check into today is an entirely new one, completed in 2023 around the memory of the old chalet rather than as a copy of it. The MICHELIN Guide gives it Two Keys, describing how the site at the north end of Horben gives every room a floor-to-ceiling panorama of foothills, and how light falls across natural wood finishes, bold textiles and mid-century furnishings with an eco-conscious edge. Rounding out the picture is a wellness complex large enough for a different terrace every day, built around a 25-metre heated pool. With 83 rooms and suites, a chef-led restaurant called LUISE and a 4,400 square-metre spa, the Luisenhöhe behaves less like a hotel than a small, self-contained health resort — precisely the word built into its own name.

01The house

The Kurhotel Luisenhöhe first opened in 1896 in chalet style and quickly became a well-known address on this plateau; a fire destroyed it in 1906, and it was rebuilt by 1908. The house served as a military administrative post during the Second World War, then as a retirement home, before reopening as a hotel in 1957. Ownership passed to a Karlsruhe cemetery-gardening company in 1980, was bought back in 2003, and renovated under new management in 2006; a Freiburg entrepreneur acquired the estate in 2011 with plans for a hotel and restaurant, and the present owners took over in 2015. Planning ran from 2016 to 2019, and the resort finally opened in the summer of 2023. The name honours Princess Luise of Prussia, daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and wife of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden.

The new building is a low, elliptical structure that steps into the hillside rather than sitting on top of it, deliberately restrained in how it meets the surrounding cultural landscape. A large geothermal field beneath the underground car park supplies the resort's heating and cooling, a quietly sustainable solution rarely visible from the panorama terraces above it.

02Rooms and suites

The 83 rooms and suites are arranged in three tiers: WohlfühlZimmer at 27 to 31 square metres, WohlfühlSuiten at 42 to 46 square metres, and LieblingsSuiten running from 50 up to 89 square metres for the largest, the LieblingsSuite Luise. Every category opens onto a French balcony or panorama terrace facing the Black Forest and the Rhine plain, with handmade beds and natural materials chosen for what the house calls its GesundKunft sleep concept. Rooms and suites are built around stylish design and handmade beds, with views toward the Black Forest and the Rhine valley.

Insider tip

Best reached via Günterstal; the direct road from Au to Horben has had closures.

Rates include a stocked Genussschränkle snack cabinet, breakfast, use of the full spa, and underground parking, with the four-course evening menu bookable as an optional extra.

03Where to eat

Restaurant LUISE is the architectural and culinary centre of the house, cooking only with fresh, seasonal produce and finishing many dishes at an open grill set into the dining room itself. Guests can choose between the cosy corner tables known as the Kuckucksnester, free-standing tables facing the Schauinsland, or the Luisenstube, a room that reinterprets a memory of the old Luisenhöhe. Host and Chef de Cuisine Niels Möller works to the maxim "Bons produits, bonne cuisine", building menus around regional, high-quality ingredients.

Sommelier Justus Hofmann has assembled a cellar of more than 400 wines, pairing regional bottles with international finds for both the dining room and the bar. Host couple Caroline and Niels Möller and their team look forward to welcoming guests to a unique ambience where they can switch off and recharge.

04The bar

The MehrblickBAR takes its name from the view: a 270-degree sweep that stretches as far as the Vosges on a clear evening. The list runs to rare spirits and wines alongside cocktails built on house-made infusions and syrups using regional produce, a good place to let the day settle before or after dinner in LUISE.

05Spa and wellbeing

The GesundKunft®-SPA Schwarzwald spreads over roughly 4,400 square metres on two floors, mixing medical fitness, beauty treatments and classic wellness with indoor and outdoor water landscapes reserved for hotel guests. Panoramic windows in the various saunas open onto the forest, the Vosges and the Schönberg landscape, while the 25-metre heated outdoor pool offers a full view of the Black Forest and Freiburg's local mountain, the Schauinsland. A natural garden holds a forest sauna and a regeneration pavilion set among the trees, with sun decks and a lawn for guests who simply want to lie down between treatments. Besides relaxation, the Luisenhöhe also offers cosmetic treatments and medical fitness with classes and equipment training.

06The neighbourhood

Horben sits inside the UNESCO Black Forest Biosphere Reserve on the western slope of the Schauinsland, a short drive from Freiburg's cathedral and old town. The surrounding hills are threaded with marked hiking and cycling routes, and the resort positions itself as a base for walking, biking, golf and winter sports as the seasons turn, alongside day trips into Freiburg itself.

07Making the most of a stay

Ask for a room on the upper floors for the fullest run of the 270-degree view, and book the spa's forest sauna for late afternoon, when the light through the trees is at its best. The hotel also runs seasonal gourmet and yoga retreats alongside its regular programme, worth checking before booking if a themed stay matters more than a standard night.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.