Romantik Blog
A guest contribution by blogger Globusliebe
The Romantik Hotels in Franken stand for warm hospitality, regionality and culinary indulgence at the highest level. Firmly rooted in their homeland, the hosts present Franconian top cuisine – in some cases even awarded Michelin stars. The experience is rounded off with prize-winning wines from the Frankenland.
One of the brand's main themes is cuisine, and as Franken is known as a region of indulgence, we chose four different Romantik Hotels in Franken for this trip, where first-class cuisine is offered.
As indulgence is, of course, varied and includes not only pleasures for the palate but also the way of travelling itself, we were able to travel in the beautiful Romantik Bulli. The vintage vehicle is a VW T2 from 1972, the founding year of the Romantik Hotels.
1st stop: Herrmann's Romantik Posthotel in Wirsberg
2nd stop: Romantik Hotel Laudensacks Parkhotel in Bad Kissingen
Herrmann's Romantik Posthotel
Our gourmet journey begins in Wirsberg in Upper Franconia. Here, between the Fichtelgebirge and the Frankenwald, is the 4-star Romantik Posthotel with a history spanning more than 150 years. Since 1869 the hotel has been family-owned and is regarded as one of the three founding members of the Romantik group.
The 39 rooms are creatively furnished, completely different in design and yet harmoniously matched to the overall concept of the house. We stayed in a large double room with a sloping ceiling, open bathroom and freestanding bathtub and felt completely at ease.
Star cuisine by Tobias Bätz
The absolute highlight of this Romantik Hotel in Franken is the gourmet restaurant awarded two Michelin stars, by the famous TV chef Alexander Herrmann, which is run by head chef Tobias Bätz. Anyone who lets themselves be pampered here for an evening can look forward to a perfectly coordinated overall work of art, complete with a show stage and culinary surprises.
The experience begins at 5 pm with a behind-the-scenes tour. Sebastian Metzdorf, who has been Alexander Herrmann's personal assistant for more than ten years, first takes guests into the kitchen, the heart of the Posthotel.
Here he explains that the team places great importance not only on first-class quality, but above all on regional produce. Accordingly, all food is sourced not from the wholesale supplier, but from around 70 small businesses in the surrounding area, which mainly offer Franconian specialities.
It then continues to the in-house fermentation lab. Here, everything revolves around preserving food. So that a wide range of regional ingredients is also available in winter, pickled gherkins, limes, cabbage and beans, yellow and red beetroot, onions, buds, spice blossoms, carrots and much more are preserved and fermented. The kitchen team even brews its own Franconian soy sauce.
At exactly 18:00, the six to eight-course menu with matching wine pairing starts in the 2-star restaurant. Each individual dish is a magic show in its own right. Creative, colourful, plated with great attention to detail, and a true poem in terms of taste.
Meat eaters look forward to first-class organic meat for the main course, which matures in the house salt chamber. Vegetarians, too, get more than their money's worth with this menu, as a varied selection of vegetables from Franconian Bioland gardeners lands on their plates.
Also super exciting: the exotic fruits used in the restaurant come from the Tropenhaus Klein Eden in the Franconian Forest. In a huge greenhouse, operated solely with waste heat from a glass manufactory, papayas, star fruits, guavas and passion fruits thrive in a climate-neutral way and without long transport routes.
Romantik Hotel Laudensacks Parkhotel
The next stop on our culinary journey through Franken is Laudensacks Parkhotel, which is housed in a stylish villa from the Gründerzeit period. It is located in the spa town of Bad Kissingen in Lower Franconia, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
Surrounded by a large hotel park with a lily pond, sun loungers and a Kneipp pool, the Romantik Hotel invites you to relax. The 21 rooms have only recently been renovated and are furnished in a modern, bright style. There is also a small wellness area with a sauna and relaxation room.
Just a few minutes' walk from the hotel is the Bad Kissingen spa gardens with palm trees, fountains, beautiful flowers, a colonnade building and the Wandelhalle. In short: a Mediterranean paradise in the middle of Franken.
Fine dining at the Parkhotel
The centrepiece of Laudensacks Parkhotel is the multi-award-winning Michelin-starred restaurant. In the evening, a first-class menu is served here by head chef Frederik Desch and his team. Each dish is accompanied by exquisite wines from all over the world. The whole experience is rounded off with a high-quality cheese selection by Maître Affineur Volker Waltmann. Food lovers will get their money's worth here.
Romantik Hotel Zur Schwane
Our journey continues with the classic car towards Mainschleife. Here, where the landscape is shaped by Franconian viticulture, lies the charming little town of Volkach and right in the middle the Romantik Hotel Zur Schwane with its own VDP winery.
The 600-year-old building has grown historically and combines tradition and modernity in a wonderfully enchanting way. With one of the oldest wine taverns in Franconia, a vine-covered inner courtyard and tastefully furnished guest rooms, the house exudes plenty of charm. Added to this, the hosts are incredibly warm-hearted people.
Anyone wanting to deepen their wine knowledge can take part in a wine tasting in the historic vaulted cellar of the Schwane and sample the award-winning VDP wines. The grapes from which the wines are made thrive in the top vineyards Escherndorfer Lump and Volkacher Ratsherr. On a hike in the region, you are sure to discover the vineyard slopes.
Fine dining restaurant Weinstock
The crowning glory of this Romantik Hotels in Franken is the Michelin-starred gourmet restaurant Weinstock. Here, the 36-year-old head chef Cornelia Fischer and her team cook sophisticated, varied dishes at the highest level.
Wines selected by the sommelier complete the taste experience of every course. Particularly exciting: in addition to the hotel’s own VDP wines, the wine list contains exclusively Franken wines.
Romantik Hotel Zehntkeller
The final stop on our gourmet trip through Franken is the Romantik Hotel Zehntkeller in the middle of the lovely wine town of Iphofen. The historic building dates from the 17th century. It once served as the official residence of the prince-bishop and later as a court of justice until it became privately owned in 1850 and was converted into a hotel with its own winery.
The 59 rooms and suites are furnished in keeping with the style of the house. Many look out onto the beautiful garden, which we particularly liked. With cosy seating areas, a rose pavilion and an herb garden, it invites you to linger.
Bioland viticulture
A major highlight of this Romantik Hotel in Franken is its own vineyard, which was converted to organic cultivation in 2009 in accordance with the strict Bioland guidelines. Accordingly, the consistent approach is to avoid chemical-synthetic pesticides. Instead, natural herbal extracts, baking powder or sulphur are used.
The vines are fertilised with organic materials such as compost or residues from pigeon processing. Greened vineyards also protect the soil, promote biodiversity and provide important beneficial organisms with a habitat.
On a guided tour, you will learn plenty of interesting facts about holistic viticulture, be able to take a look inside the historic wine cellar from 1886 and sample the fine wines from Frankenland. If you prefer something sparkling: sparkling wine is also produced from the estate's own wines using the Champagne method.
If you wish, you can even visit the around 120,000 vines of the Zehntkeller yourself. They thrive in the clay soils of the Schwanberg around Iphofen. The region invites you on wonderful hikes with far-reaching views, for example at the award-winning terroir f viewpoints of the Franconian wine country.
