A luxurious 5-star hotel in Ettlingen, The Erbprinz Hotel and Restaurant is located directly opposite Ettlingen Castle with a wonderful view of the old town.

Ettlingen, a town in Baden-Württemberg, is about eight kilometres south of Karlsruhe and approximately 15 kilometres from the border with France's Bas-Rhin.

As early as 1788, the Ettlingen Postmaster Ignatz Stein was awarded a hospitality concession* for his Post Office. That meant his hotel, which he henceforth called Erbprinz (English: Hereditary Prince), was open not only to post couriers but to everyone.

[*Ed. the concession could be considered the forerunner of today's motorway service areas given that at the time it allowed for catering and accommodation for travellers and their means of transport!]

After several changes of ownership, the hotel gained in importance throughout Europe after 1948. Guests included Federal Chancellors and Presidents as well as European aristocracy and famous stars such as Maria Callas and Sophia Loren.

In 1967 the Erbprinz achieved culinary importance with one of the first Michelin stars in Germany under Head Chef Günther Wanka. A second star followed from 1974 to 1978.

In the 1960s and 1970s, many of today's big names cooked in Ettlingen, such as Lothar Eiermann, Hans Haas, Marc Haeberlin, Alfred Klink, Jörg Sackmann and Eckart Witzigmann.

Chef Rôtisseur Ralph Knebel, currently one of the top 100 chefs in Germany, has been awarded the coveted Michelin star every year since 2012. Currently being awarded 17 points in the Gault Millau.

Owner since 1999, Officer Maître Hôtelier Bernhard Zepf has purposefully and professionally pushed ahead with the expansion of the hotel, the wellness area and the various restaurant areas.

This full-blooded hotelier has managed a grandiose balancing act between preserving cherished traditions and innovation. In Bernhard’s words “You have to keep reinventing yourself and adapting the traditional to the times”.

The culinary highlight and star of the establishment is the Weinstube Sibylla which offers a cosy, homely ambience focusing on regional dishes. This dining option is supplemented by the Erbprinz Weinkontor which offers top Baden wines at winery prices and high-quality wine accessories. In Café Erbprinz, handmade pralines and Black Forest cake from Jasmina Knebel can be enjoyed. Jasmina attaches great importance to sustainability in patisserie and is inspirational where chocolate is concerned.

In the Green Horse Bar, with its old English ambience, a large selection of Davidoff cigars is available.

The spacious beauty and spa area is currently being expanded and fundamentally renovated. Once reopened guests can look forward to a perfect oasis of well-being.

No wishes remain unfulfilled at the Erbprinz!

Walter Johannes Steyer
Vice Chancelier/Argentier

Photos: courtesy of Hotel/Restaurant Erbprinz

Hotel Restaurant Erbprinz
Rheinstr. 1
76275 Ettlingen
Tel: +49 (0)7243 322-0
Web: www.erbprinz.de
E-mail: [email protected]