Hotel Böhlerstern:
your conference hotel in Styria
In the time-honoured building of Hotel Böhlerstern beats an ancient and yet youthful heart. This luxurious and modernly furnished conference hotel in Styria is ideal for business events, private parties, and more. Holiday makers are also welcome here.
From factory guesthouse to a modern seminar hotel in Styria
1919
In 1919, the hotel was built by the Böhler brothers to provide employees and business partners with a multifunctional centre. Thanks to the opening of the “Werksgasthof zur Kanone” factory guesthouse, the hotel rooms, and the Fürstentrakt (Prince’s wing) as well as its own theatre hall with adjoining rooms, the building soon filled with life.
1943
The extension of the loft increased the number of rooms.
1985
The entire complex underwent extensive renovation work. A new era began.
2005
Further renovation and extension work took place. That’s when numerous new rooms, fitness and wellness area, Steel academy, Irony lounge, Genusslabor®, and more were created.
2006
The music room was given a historic wooden ceiling from 1896 from the Buchta Castle collection.
2023
The general renovation of the hotel came to an end. Hotel Böhlerstern, our four-star conference hotel in Styria now shows its brand-new look.
Stories from our seminar hotel in Styria
Where does the Japanese samurai armour come from? And what’s the story behind the 40kg Champagne pourer? Here you can read a few anecdotes from our eventful history.
The samurai of Gustav Klimt
The Japanese samurai armour was owned by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. He’s said to have brought it back from his trip to Paris in 1909. But how did this armour end up in our conference hotel in Styria? It’s simple: The armour’s heir, Klimt’s nephew Alfred Zimpel, was personnel manager at Böhler Edelstahl until 1960 and sold the statue to Alfred Mikesch, the director of the hotel at that time. He decided to exhibit the armour in what was then the factory guesthouse.
The architect of the hotel:
Otto Prutscher (1880-1949)
Hotel Böhlerstern was entirely designed by famous architect Otto Prutscher. A lot of his impressive work, such as the Russenkirche church or Heinehof in Vienna, has been placed under monumental protection. During his training at the Technical College for Wood Industry at Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, Prutscher internalised the idea that graduates should cover “all the demands of the art industry”. For him it was important that architecture and interior design formed a unity. The designs for the hotel were created in 1910.
Otto Prutscher, the interior designer
The majority of the original furnishings were also designed by architect Otto Prutscher. He regarded buildings as a whole, starting from the facades to the smallest detail, such as the cutlery. He put that into practice for the hotel. Many objects are from the original furnishing and are valuable items. Many of them were manufactured by the renowned Howard & Sons in London, which was one of Europe’s best-known and most sought-after upholstered furniture makers at that time.
From playroom to music room
The magnificent ceiling of the hotel’s music room originally came from Krottendorf Castle, known today as Buchta Castle. The building was first mentioned around 1210, and from that point, it has been continually enlarged and rebuilt. The castle in its current state dates back to the 17th century and has an eventful history. For example, Ulrich von Liechtenstein stayed at the castle, which is today owned by the company Böhler Edelstahl GmbH.
From cinema to theatre hall
In the early days of our hotel, the theatre hall was the second-largest cinema in Kapfenberg and opened up the world of entertainment and information to thousands of people. Today, you can still find the original projectors in our conference hotel in Styria, well taken care of by the members of Kapfenberg Film Club. The exhibited projector is a true piece of history: It’s the projector that showed the first images on the theatre’s big screen in 1927.
The group behind the hotel
The massive 40kg Champagne pourer underlines the close relationship between Böhler steelworks and the hotel. The swivel pourer is made for a Nebuchadnezzar bottle with a capacity of 15l and was created in the Böhler Edelstahl GmbH training workshop. Böhler is the world’s leading supplier of tool steels, high-speed steels, and special materials.