The history of Ortner's Resort and Bad Füssing

The farm of the “Bauern in Füssing” (Wimmer family) was one of 6 estates in the hamlet of Füssing with a total of 38 inhabitants. The family’s Lower Bavarian four-sided farmstead can be traced back to 1846.
The farmstead consisted of a residential house, stables for cattle, horses, sheep and pigs, a barn and a coach house.

In gratitude for his happy return home from the First World War, Georg Wimmer built a chapel between two old lime trees in front of the farm in 1925, where a chapel still stands today. Georg Wimmer died in 1932.

During the Third Reich, oil was sought in the Inn Valley, especially in the Pockinger Heide. In 1937, Mrs Wimmer signed a contract with the Bavarian Mineral Oil Industry (BMI), which stipulated that oil could be drilled on her land. In autumn 1937, drilling work began on a field 150 metres from the farm.

On 8 February 1938, hot sulphur water instead of oil sprayed like fountains over the drilling rig from a depth of 960 m – Therme I was born.

However, the drilling company did not recognise the treasure and closed the borehole again.

In 1946, Franz Ortner from Schmidham married Mathilde Wimmer, a daughter of the Wimmer farmer’s wife, and took over the farm. From then on, the estate was called Ortnerhof.

Franz Ortner knew about the borehole and the hot water. The key to the wooden hut unlocked the “gateway to changing his life and founding a new spa resort”.

He opened the borehole cap, the water shot up 30 metres and a bathing pool was created. Children, old people, war returnees, but also Jews and Americans from the nearby Waldstadt prison camp came to bathe and felt their ailments improve.

Franz Ortner did not know the composition of the water at the time, but realised that it was healing water.

Franz Ortner was the only one who believed that the hot water spring next to his farm was the basis for a spa. Everyone was against him. But nobody could dissuade him from his idea.

He had used drainpipes converted into seating tubs, built a well to cool the 56 °C hot thermal water and fought vigorously for the water rights.

The BMI had a water analysis carried out at the Balneological Institute in Munich, which identified the spring as the strongest sulphur spring in Europe.
The BMI now also recognised the value of the water and continued to run the spa as a public bath in 1947 – the beginning of the Füssing thermal spa.

After the successful birth of Therme I, the first overnight guests were welcomed to the former farmhouse, the “Ortner-Hof”, in 1948.
Füssing’s first bed establishment was renamed the “Lindenhof” in the same year, after the old lime trees on the farm.

In 1950, son Franz Xaver was born, who has played a decisive role in the success story to this day.

As the number of guests grew, the farm increasingly became a hotel.
In 1954, the “Linde” organic house was built in place of the coach house and the grain store.

The capacity limit was quickly reached and the residential building had to be extended together with the “Linde” house. An in-house massage practice was also established.

In 1964, the family built the first outdoor thermal pool directly at the Lindenhof.
Three years later, this was roofed over and another new outdoor pool was built. To this day, the pools at the Lindenhof are supplied daily with spring-fresh healing water from the farm’s own Therme I spa.

Son Franz Xaver Ortner married Christl Scharpf in 1979, and together they took over the Lindenhof in 1981. In the same year, daughter Bettina
and son Franz Josef was born in 1983.

In 1983, the new “Therme” house was built and reopened in place of the old farmhouse. The new “Linde” house was built in 1987.

In 1992, the Lindenhof was extended once again: 3 thermal baths were built on the farm and developed into a thermal bathing paradise.

In 1995, an underground car park with a total of 58 parking spaces was built.

2001: Senior boss Franz Ortner, the man of the first hour, pioneer and founder of Bad Füssing, passed away. With the death of the senior boss, the livestock on the farm was liquidated and the agricultural land leased out.

In 2007, the new “Franz Ortner Fountain” was inaugurated at the gates of the Lindenhof, which was dedicated to the senior boss and founder of Bad Füssing as a thank you for his loyal services to the spa town and the Lindenhof.

A breakfast room with terrace was built in the 2000s (2002).
The former cowshed was turned into a cosy “Hofschänke” (2005).
A sauna area was created (2007).

In 2008 the granddaughter Sophia was born and the Hofstüberl was added to the Hofschänke.

In 2009 the Therme was extensively renovated.

In 2010, the Kurhotel Lindenhof became Ortner’s Lindenhof.
New rooms, renovations, extensions … things continued to progress.

Villa Sophia opened in 2010 and Haus Wappen was also renovated.

In 2011, the future Lindenhof manager Bettina Maria Ortner married the tax consultant Martin Zwicklbauer.

2012 grandson Martin was born and the organic house Linde with the wine bar “Zur Weinpress” was established.

In 2013, the Hofschänke, the former cowshed, was demolished: instead, the family built the “Wirt z’Füssing” restaurant here until 2014. In the same year, Ortner’s Lindenhof was awarded the 4-star superior classification.

Bettina Ortner-Zwicklbauer takes over the business.

In 2015, the breakfast room was extended to include the Frühstücksgartl.

In 2016, the family bought the neighbouring Haus Anger with 30 rooms.

2018 and 2019 further renovation measures in our Haus Therme and Haus Anger.

2020: New milestones – the thermal bath paradise was demolished to create the new “Ortner’s Thermenwelt”.
At the same time, the new Restaurant 1846 is built for half-board guests and Hotel Ortner’s Lindenhof becomes Ortner’s Resort.
Fantastic suites are created in our main building Wappen and the new hotel bar OZ with lakeside terrace

2021: Renovation work at Villa Sophia, all rooms equipped with oak flooring and comfort cooling.
“A breath of fresh air in Haus Anger: all rooms in Haus Anger were given a charming facelift at the end of 2021.
Look forward to new, comfortable upholstered furniture with cosy cushions, stylish lighting and inspiring pictures.

2023: WHAT AN #OMOMENT – we have some truly extraordinary news! The BTG, the official awarding body for hotel stars in Bavaria, has classified our Ortner’s Resort with 5 stars in summer 2023. You can now enjoy your time out in the first five-star hotel in Bad Füssing and the only 5-star resort with its own thermal spring and spa in the whole of Bavaria.