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KLAUSEN. T H E A RT I STS ’ TOWN Klausen’s fascinating history as an artists’ colony is rich enough to fill an entire book. If a tour guide tried to cover all aspects in detail, they wouldn’t have any time at all to show visitors the old town with its enchanting little corners and sleepy side streets. To discover more about this part of Klausen’s past, let’s first head to the former Lamplsaal hall, which today serves as a council hall and provides a fitting setting for civil wedding ceremonies and other celebrations. In 1874, kind-hearted landlord Georg Kantioler renamed the hall “Walthersaal” in a bid to attract more custom. And despite the unmissable slogan on the wall declaring “Anyone who drinks too much has not drunk well”, artists like Alexander Köster, Franz v. Defregger, Alois Gabl, Mathias Schmid and Robert Ruß certainly did spend many a jolly evening here. The names of many artists whose works can be admired in the Alte Pinakothek art museum in Munich appear in the famous guestbook of the former Gasthof zum Lamm inn. The most loyal guest was probably Ernst Lösch, an illustrator and comedian from Nuremberg who wrote two short books about Klausen’s charming yet curious inhabitants. The Walthersaal is a true gem. The hall has been renovated twice but today it still looks like it did 150 years ago when Ernst Lösch and Charles Palmié painted it with their friends. With the exception of
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The houses in the upper town are nestled against the rocks on which Säben Abbey sits. Their gardens are accessible via the attic!
