The Linslerhof – through the ages

The first documented reference to the Linslerhof dates back to the year 1154. A written document has been handed down which documents the donation of the Linslerhof by a certain Wirich and his mother Juttha. They transferred ownership of the manor to the abbey in Fraulautern. In return for the gift, the abbesses were obligated to read three Masses in the chapel at the Linslerhof. The Mass days soon turned into pilgrimage days, on which the nuns of Fraulautern drove up to the manor in their carriages.

A market was also set up, and a dance was later added. There are also reports of riding games, which saw the abbesses present a bouquet of flowers to the fastest rider. On the Saturday after Pentecost a particularly large celebration was held, which saw numerous guests from the County of Saarbrücken and the Duchy of Lorraine welcomed to the Linslerhof.

In-keeping with tradition, numerous riders and drivers of horse-drawn carriages still celebrate the pilgrimage day, with a special blessing for the horses at the Linslerhof.

Origin of the name

In the region, the Saturday after Pentecost is generally known as “Leslertag” (after “Leseln”, the shortened named of the Linslerhof). The meaning of the name Linslerhof can be explained by the use of language at the time that it came about. Linslerhof and the once commonly-used abbreviations “Linsel” or “Leseln” could be translated in our time as: “Linden am Wasser” (Lime trees on the water) or “Land am Sumpf” (Land on the marsh).

The Linslerhof – under the ownership of the Boch-Galhau family

In 1789 the abbey at Fraulautern was dissolved and the Linslerhof was first nationalised and then publically auctioned in 1791. A report exists from 1821 which mentions a household of 12 people at the Linslerhof. The livestock mentioned are 10 horses, 17 cows and an unnamed number of small animals. The manor formerly comprised 605 “Tagewerke” in Lorraine (1 Tagewerke = approx. 2500 to 3600m²) Of those Tagewerke, 210 were arable lands, 95 were meadows and 300 were fallow lands.

Due to a new auction in 1824 Louis Henry Fulbert de Galhau acquired the estate. (* 1783). He transferred the Linslerhof in 1858 to his son Adolphe de Galhau, who added several sandstone buildings to the estate

With the construction of the railway in 1880, the Linslerhof got a rail station. In 1891 the road from Überherrn to Differten was built and the track to the Linslerhof was planted with fruit trees on both sides.

At the turn of the century the manor passed into the ownership of the Boch-Galhau family through an inheritance. At this time it comprised 1,500 acres of land and an extensive forest and wetland area. The chapel at the Linslerhof was described as the old pilgrimage chapel in as early as 1153. In 1995, it was completely renovated. The altar, the interior design and the roof construction are attributed to Josef and Andreas Guldner from Bisten.

Now a 4-star Hotel in the Saarland

In the mid 1990s, when the stables and the manor house stood empty and were slowly falling into disrepair, Brigitte and Wendelin von Boch-Galhau faced a choice between selling the estate or starting over. It would not have been worth renovating the buildings for the agriculture alone. Brigitte von Boch-Galhau took it upon herself to revive the manor.

In the early 90s, the cattle stalls were converted into boxes for boarding horses. In 1994 a hunting school and an underground shooting range were opened at the manor – at the time it was one of the most modern in Europe. In hunting, a tradition was picked up which, it is said, was enjoyed by Kaiser Barbarossa some 800 years ago in the Bist valley with its abundance of game and fish. At the same time that the hunting school was founded, the first rooms were furnished on the former farmhouse estate in the English country house style.

An idyllic environment was created, in which guests can recover, relax or spend a romantic weekend as a couple. Today, the Hotel Linslerhof can offer its guests 60 comfortable rooms, a wonderful hotel garden and three air-conditioned seminar rooms. Five further seminar rooms belong to the hunting school on the estate.

The former horse stables were converted into the cosy Restaurant St. Antonius (seating 80) in October 1995. A little while later, the rustic Georgstube (seating up to 90) emerged from the neighbouring stallion stable. The stylish St. Hubertus ballroom (80-120 people) with its beautiful rose garden or the beer garden under the chestnut trees round out the culinary options.

Agricultural tradition

Thanks to the successful and tourist-focused concept, the agricultural tradition was able to be continued at the Linslerhof. 50 horses graze at the Linslerhof, which today stretches out over a total area of 250 hectares.