There is a moment at Tannerhof, just after sunrise, when the valley is still, the mountains slowly begin to glow in the backlight, and the meadows below the farm lie in a green that seems almost too rich to be true. Then it lies there, down below, in the middle of the meadow: a long, calm ribbon of steel, twenty-five by five meters, and in it, completely motionless, the reflections of the slopes sway. Anyone who steps out of their room at this hour, crossing the meadow before the house wakes up, knows without words: something has been created here that gives summer a sense of permanence.
The Badeharpfe, as the building is called, speaks for itself. It is, quite simply, a roof on stilts. An archaic timber frame of the kind found in the eastern Alps for centuries: in Carinthia, East Tyrol, and Slovenia. Traditionally used to dry hay and grain, letting light and air do the work, the Tannerhof is now home to what is quite likely the world’s very first Harpfe designed for bathing, sweating, and unwinding. Florian Nagler, the estate's architect for nearly twenty years, precisely captured its origins: an open framework sheltered by a roof, fitting effortlessly into its surroundings, parallel to the contour lines. Burgi von Mengershausen, representing the fourth generation running the Tannerhof, puts it more succinctly: architecture that heightens the experience of nature and creates new perspectives. That is, in the best possible sense, an understatement.
The mountain, the pool, the light
Twenty-five meters of stainless steel, naturally purified, heated from April to October. That is how the data sheet reads, and it tells so little. Anyone who swims the first few laps immediately understands why this pool in front of the Harpfe is so important. It is not the warm water that makes the difference, but what happens above it. With every breath, the view rises up the Seeberg, the timber framing of the Harpfe frames it like an etched print, and the water itself is so clear that you can see your own shadow dancing on the bottom. Around the pool are loungers with colorful parasols that tap softly in the light summer breeze. In 2026, summer at Tannerhof means: out of bed, across the meadow, into the pool. Somewhere between the trees, a bird chirps while you swim meter by meter into the day.
In winter, it clatters here. Then the pool becomes an ice bath, the mountain air bites at your shoulders and collarbone, and the sauna above you is suddenly understood not as a convenience, but as a rescue. But now, in summer, everything is allowed to slow down.
Nothing huge, but an incredible number of situations
In a conversation with Micol Krause, Florian Nagler said a sentence that captures this building perfectly: "Basically, it's something small: a wall, a few rooms, a wooden frame in front, and a swimming pool. Nothing huge or spectacular. But it creates and provides an incredible number of different situations." Anyone who spends a day in the Harpfe eventually starts counting them. The shady lounging side under the roof, where you lie after swimming while the mountain shimmers in the air. The relaxation room on the first floor, smelling of wood, glassed in all around, with Weißhäupl Maliha loungers from which you watch the clouds drift over the slope. Up the other stairs, the Finnish sauna, behind whose large panoramic windows lie the entire valley and the Wendelstein. The two fitness rooms, half-buried in the slope, with the high parapet behind which a strip of meadow stands as if it wanted to watch you.
The idea of arranging all this on a single axis stems from a long, crisis-ridden planning history. At one point, a new bathhouse, a drained indoor pool, and a large-scale pool restaurant were considered. Then came the pandemic, supply shortages, and cost explosions, and things had to become smaller. Nagler calls this "boiling down," Burgi calls it "the essence." Both mean the same thing: leave out everything until only what is essential remains. For years, the sentence that doesn't need explaining at Tannerhof has been on the door to the farm shop: "Human, become essential." The Harpfe is, upon closer inspection, the architectural answer to that.
A day that finds itself
A summer day at Tannerhof follows no agenda, and that is exactly its luxury. It usually begins in a place with a view. A coffee or tea in hand, breathing in the mountain air, watching the meadows slowly awaken. Then the first lap in the pool before the breakfast buffet is set up, and afterwards, still with damp hair, the small, fine breakfast in the Alte Tann. Bircher muesli, organic yogurt, cheese from the Tegernseer Naturkäserei, bread from the Bayrischzell organic bakery, coffee from Dinzler, tea from Herbaria. None of it loud. All of it good.
Mornings are dedicated to movement. If you like, set out on the Seeberg trail, one of the most scenic hikes in the area and a personal favourite of Romy von Mengershausen. For those aiming higher, hike along the King Maximilian Trail towards the Wendelstein, passing the Wendelstein alpine meadows before reaching the summit to gaze down over the Leitzach Valley below. And if you prefer staying lower down, take an easy stroll through the flat valley floor, following streams where beavers occasionally settle, subtly reshaping the landscape in their own distinct way.
GENUINE HANDCRAFT
Back at the farm, for those who want it, the other Tannerhof expertise awaits—the kind that summer outdoors easily lets one overlook. The bathhouse has been the therapeutic heart of the house for generations, and it stands on two legs: medicine and craft.
On the medical side, Burgi von Mengershausen, a specialist in general medicine with additional qualifications in naturopathy and nutritional medicine, and her colleagues Alexa Kaiser and Gabriele von Bergmann are continuing the fourth generation of doctors at Tannerhof. The principle of these consultations is unspectacular at first glance and radical at the second: first, there is listening. Then talking. Only then, treatment. The services range from detailed health examinations, lab work, ECGs, and ultrasounds to IHHT altitude training and ozone autohemotherapy. All without haste. All after conversation and always individual.
Alongside this, another treasure trove opens up: over fifty treatments that have shaped Tannerhof for more than a hundred years. A classic full-body massage, where the head, neck, and back get everything that everyday life has brought in. A fasting massage that calms the stomach and head at the same time. A Kneipp alternating pour, as old as the method it is named after, and as invigorating as if it had been invented today. A mud pack whose warmth stays in your legs for hours afterward. In addition, face and body treatments with natural cosmetics, scrubs with Alpine herbs and sesame oil, a honey massage that sounds Bavarian and in truth detoxifies. And, with a beautiful bridge over to the Harpfe, the hay wrap. On the Harpfe in the Alpine region, hay is dried; at Tannerhof, this very hay, wrapped in a fleece, warms the liver of those fasting. Naturopathy calls it "morphine." Anyone who has ever lain under such a wrap knows why. On the notice board, two words are written in large letters: GENUINE HANDCRAFT. That is exactly how it feels.
And then there is the weekly programme. Running six days a week, both morning and late afternoon, it offers a variety as rich as the retreat itself. Yoga on the forest sun deck, looking out over the hillsides. Feldenkrais in the studio, so subtle you only realise its effect once you stand up. Tai chi outdoors, weather permitting. Pilates, stretching, resistance band training, autogenic training, Nordic walking, and aqua fitness in the indoor pool. Alongside all this, nearly daily guided hikes wind through the Leitzach Valley or head up into the mountains. Just a few steps across the slope sits the old studio—once a resting hall, now the creative workspace of Nele von Mengershausen, artist and heart and soul of the retreat, offering painting groups and art therapy for those who find words either elusive or overwhelming.
Lunch and afternoon
Lunch is best enjoyed outdoors. Those opting for the ¾ rhythm can help themselves to the "Salat'n Sound" buffet, which takes its name seriously, offering a selection of salads, fine oils, and organic products. Those who have chosen the "Slender Fir" receive a three-course low-carb menu, composed by head chef Elias Lang with no mercy for pasta, but with a great passion for vegetables, fish, and the right fats. And those fasting can enjoy their mild vegetable soup in peace in the fasting room.
Afterward, it is the true hour of the Harpfe. When the sun has moved on and the timber frame casts long shadows across the sun deck, the pool loungers become an open-air reading room. Some swim laps, others stand in the shallow end and gaze out, while others climb the stairs to the relaxation room and disappear for two hours. Florian Nagler said it himself in an interview: "For example, I'm sitting here in the relaxation room right now, watching the clouds drift over the mountain. You could sit there for hours." It is no coincidence that he is the one saying this. The room was built exactly for that purpose.
I watch the clouds drift over the mountain. You could sit there for hours.
Around seven, just before the kitchen brings out the first plates, the light changes. The wood, which was understated during the day, takes on a color best described as honey. The Wendelstein stands in the backlight. The umbrellas by the pool remain open, even though they are no longer needed. In the Finnish sauna at the very top, the temperature hits eighty-five degrees, and the panoramic windows sweat quietly along with it. You sit, you breathe, you are silent. Afterward: down the stairs, a quick run across the meadow, and a jump into the still-tepid water. And then, who knows, maybe a second time.
Later, guests gather in the "Alte Tann" for an aperitif followed by the *menu du jour*. Depending on the day, it’s three to five courses from Elias Lang’s kitchen—organic, regional, and slow. Fridays feature the grand five-course menu, which even some of those fasting briefly forget themselves for. The tables are often mixed; strangers become acquaintances, and acquaintances become friends. Outside, the Harpfe becomes a glowing landmark on the slope. From the relaxation room, you can watch the last streaks of light wander across the valley. Muffled by the wood, you can hear the water gently splashing as someone swims one last lap. The Seeberg across the way grows darker. Eventually, the first stars twinkle through the large windows.
In the end, the Harpfe has become exactly what is written on the door to the farm shop: "Human, become essential." A roof on stilts, a pool in the grass, a sauna with a view. Not a compromise, as Burgi says, but the essence. And because the essential at Tannerhof has always been something social, the Harpfe is never quite alone in the summer.
Almost unnoticed, something greater has emerged. The Harpfe captures what has always defined Tannerhof, just in a new form. The mountains around Bayrischzell, the streams and mountain lakes, the genuine craftsmanship in the bathhouse, the culinary creations from Elias Lang’s kitchen, the morning movement, and the long, quiet lounging in the afternoon: all of this suddenly finds a common anchor point here. You no longer need a specific plan to know where the summer day will lead. It leads, sooner or later, to the Harpfe. And from there, back out again.
Wow, this is beautiful. It’s wonderful that such things still exist.
Perhaps this is the finest proof that the project is a success. Not that the Harpfe is spectacular—it is intentionally not. But that it gives the rest of the house a new charm without pushing itself to the forefront. A true summer at Tannerhof doesn't need much. But since last year, it needs exactly this place.
Burgi von Mengershausen has a very simple sentence for what she wishes for her guests: "Wow, this is beautiful. It’s wonderful that such things still exist." Perhaps, after four generations of Tannerhof, that is the most beautiful of all architectural critiques.
