court chronicle

The Bergerhof is an organically run farm in the district of Burg.

Construction of the farm building began in 1958 and guest rooms were already planned at that time. Situated at 1350 m above sea level, the property offers a view out of the valley. Smaller and larger extensions, conversions and improvements to the house were carried out time and again before a complete renovation of the entire building was undertaken in 2015. Since then, the Bergerhof has not only provided space for the family themselves, but also for 22 guests.

The Gratz family distinguished themselves early on with diligence, and not just within their own four walls: In 1911, Johann Gratz (the grandfather of today's senior farmer Hans) was elected head of the village (= mayor) of Kals. At the end of this very demanding position in 1916, he even went one step further in 1919 when he stood for election to the Tyrolean state parliament in 10th place for the Tyrolean People's Party. This meant that a Kalser was represented in the Tyrolean state parliament at this time.

But that was not all: Johann Gratz did pioneering work in another area: electricity supply. From February 2, 1907, Kals had its own electricity power station and the Berger farmer at the time was its operations manager. At the time, this was a sensational technical innovation and the plant was the first in the whole of East Tyrol. Incidentally, an ancestor of today's senior farmer Bernadette was one of these pioneers.

In his private life, however, the enterprising farmer struggled with completely different problems: His first wife died early and the home and farm were left without a farmer's wife. After remarrying, things picked up again and a total of 10 children grew up on the farm.

The turmoil of the Second World War did not stop at the gates of the Kalser Valley. Many young men went off to war, including Johann, son of the old farmer and intended to take over the farm. During the war, he was given leave to marry his Marianne (originally from Oberlienz). She stayed at the farm in the absence of her newlywed husband and Bernadette, who is now the old farmer, can still remember that Marianne often told him how good her father-in-law was to her despite all the adversity. After her husband Johann finally returned home from captivity, all forces were pooled to provide for the home, farm and family in the best possible way.

At that time, the Gratz family was not yet at home in Burg; they owned a farm in the Großdorf district. In the course of the land consolidation in the 1950s, the Gossa house (Burg No. 1, right next door) came into family ownership. A workshop was initially set up there to facilitate the planned construction of a new farmstead in Burg. After the farm buildings in Großdorf had been sold and all preparations had been made, construction of today's Bergerhof at 1350m above sea level could begin in 1958.

All the woodwork and furniture was made by father and son themselves!

Johann and Marianne had three sons: Alois, Anton and (for the sake of simplicity) Johann. When it came to handing over the farm in this generation too, the following agreement was reached: Alois, the eldest, received the rear part of the Gossa house (Burg 1, next door), where he still lives today with his wife Gertraud. Anton was given the Berger Alm in Kalser Dorfertal, which had already been built but was not yet run as a snack station, and a building plot in Großdorf (Tirolerhof). Johann took over the farm in 1977.

In 1987, Johann married his wife Bernadette (née Tembler) and they decided to adapt the business to the increased needs of their guests. The house was renovated for the first time, the guest rooms were equipped with showers and toilets, the balconies, the kitchen and the breakfast room were renewed, the heating and the roof were renovated and new doors and windows were installed.

In addition to guest accommodation, the couple also wanted to actively continue farming:
The farm still includes 6 hectares of meadows and 23 hectares of forest. In summer, the cows are kept in the village valley, while another small family-owned mountain pasture is located near the Pahlberg. The young cattle spend the summer there. The barn has already been rebuilt several times and is now equipped with a pipe milking system, liquid manure and 9 dairy cow stalls.

Bernadette and Johann did a lot of voluntary work in addition to the Bergerhof. For example, Hansl invested a lot of his time and energy in his 21 years as chairman of the Dorferalm agricultural community. A particular challenge was the discussion about the construction of the power plant in the Dorfertal. 93% of the members were against the damming of the Dorfertal. Despite all the difficulties, Hansl kept his vision and started the construction of the community barn in the Dorfertal. In 1988, the project to build the power station was successfully averted and the construction of the community stable could be continued at full speed.

Another of Hansl's great concerns was and is mountain rescue. He was chairman for 15 years, head of operations for over 15 years and in total worked at the head of the mountain rescue service in Kals for over 30 years. He was awarded the Lifesaving Medal in 1983.
During his time as chairman, the mountain rescue operations were coordinated from the Bergerhof kitchen, as the municipality was unable to provide suitable premises. In total, the kitchen served as the operations center for 183 missions. His wife Bernadette actively supported him and held the radio position in the kitchen.

Although Bernadette had her hands full at home, she found the time to work at the head of the Kalser Ortsbäuerinnen for 18 years. Singing is Bernadette's passion. So it was not surprising that she was a founding member of the Kalser Stubenfliegen. The Stubenfliegen are known far beyond the borders of East Tyrol and have even recorded their own CD.

After many years of hard work, the Gratz couple did not delay the handover of the farm unnecessarily long and in February 2011 the young farmer Michael leased the farm before it was finally transferred to him in 2014.

Michael's brother, Alexander, and his wife Petra have built their own home in Lana. Lex is on the road with a truck and crane in East Tyrol for work and Petra can normally be found at the municipal office in Kals or at the registry office. She is currently enjoying her baby break. The joy about the new addition to the family is huge, especially the older cousins, Isidor and Andreas, are very proud of their little cousin named Rupert.

The younger brother of Michael and Alexander, Hannes, died in an accident in October 2011: he fell from the balcony on the 3rd floor. The inscription on the front of the staircase is dedicated to him. Even if we don't like to talk about it, we like to remember this cheerful, funny young man who will always have a place at the Bergerhof and in our hearts.

Michael and Monika have not only decided to take over and continue running the Bergerhof, but have also felt the pulse of the times and carried out extensive renovations and extensions to the guest area. From March to mid-December 2015, they worked at full speed and now the farm has a brand new look: 5 rooms with shower and WC, satellite TV and balcony, 1 vacation apartment for 2-6 people, breakfast room with cooking facilities and direct access to the terrace, wellness area with infrared cabin and relaxation room, ski and drying room, elevator and a children's playground in front of the house.

In October 2018, a new phase of life began for the young farm owners: their first child Isidor was born. In August 2020, Isidor was joined by his little brother Andreas. Who knows what awaits the "young men" of the Gratz family at the Bergerhof!