FROM ITS FOUNDING UNTIL TODAY
1891 UNTIL TODAY
The hotel was built in 1891 in a strategic position and is a witness to a bygone era and the eventful history of South Tyrol.
THE BEGINNINGS
After the Brenner railway line was constructed (1867), more and more accommodations for travelers were built. In 1890, Johann Jarolim acquired a piece of land together with his wife Genoveva Amegg and so, after the foundation stone was laid in 1891, Jarolim opened the Hotel Bahnhof and its doors to guests from all over the world. Thanks to Genoveva Amegg-Jarolim´s culinary skills, the business went so well that the hotel was expanded in 1905 and a floor was added in 1912.
THE WAR YEARS
During World War I Brixen/ Bressanone was a major training area, and the Officers of Austria-Hungary were housed in the hotel. These were eventful years for the house, as work was done day and night almost without interruption.
In 1918, South Tyrol was granted to the Kingdom of Italy, and peace returned in the following years. When the Italian Queen Elena came for a visit to Brixen on July 5, 1935, the Jarolim family came up with the idea of naming the hotel after the Italian royal house "Savoia".
At the beginning of the war German Wehrmacht officers were stationed and towards the end of the war American troops were quartered in the house.
After the end of the war, the Italian people abrogated the monarchy and consequently, the hotel adopted the name of the owner’s family.
Meanwhile, the hotel was managed in the second generation by Johann Jarolim's son Alois and his wife Karolina Unterthiner-Jarolim. Her passion was to serve guests in the restaurant, which is why the kitchen was moved from the basement to the ground floor, directly into the so-called piano room. The piano that was there can be admired in the breakfast room now.
THE HOTEL AFTER THE 1960S
After the end of the war, fascism left a sign in South Tyrol, and so in 1961, the house was suddenly occupied by a special unit of Italian policemen together with their families. For six years the Jarolim family was only allowed to run their bar. Despite everything, they managed to make the best out of the situation, and so Bernhard (Alois and Karolina's son), made friends with the children of the stationed police officers.
When South Tyrol became an autonomy and the special unit was withdrawn, the hotel had to be completely renovated before it could have been used to accommodate guests again. Bernhard Jarolim together with his two sisters Edith and Alexandra and his wife Jolanda Plunger took over the hotel. Jolanda gave an artistic touch to the house; in fact, her watercolors, collages, and drawings can be seen throughout the house.
Brixen has always been considered a popular holiday destination with many opportunities for leisure activities. In the context of globalization, the hotel has adapted to a new, more flexible, and adventurous type of clientele. The hotel's strategic location provides the perfect starting point for day trips and itineraries but is also ideal for stopping over on a long journey.
For 130 years, the hotel has been a place where people come in and out every day, with the only exception during the pandemic (2020), when it had to be closed for several weeks.
THE HOTEL TODAY AND A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE
The hotel is located at station square in Bressanone (redesigned in 2022) and for this reason, it is perfectly accessible by public transport. In the future, Bressanone will be even easier to reach thanks to the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel, a milestone for Europe's train network.
Our family-run business is moving with the times. In early 2023, the bar and entrance area was redesigned to create an environment that combines the historic and modern character of the hotel.
