History of the Linslerhof - Through the ages

The first documented mention in the history of the Linslerhof dates back to 1154. A document has been handed down which documents the donation of the Linslerhof by a certain Wirich and his mother Juttha. They handed the farm over to the monastery in Fraulautern. The donation included the obligation for the abbesses to have three masses said in the chapel of the Linslerhof. The Mass days soon became pilgrimage days, when the nuns from Fraulautern drove up to the courtyard in their carriages.

A market was also set up and dancing was added later. There are also reports of equestrian games in which the abbesses presented the fastest rider with a bouquet of flowers. The Saturday after Whitsun was particularly celebrated, when numerous guests from the County of Saarbrücken and the Duchy of Lorraine were welcomed to the Linslerhof.

In keeping with this tradition, numerous riders and horse-drawn carriage drivers still celebrate the pilgrimage day with a horse blessing at the Linslerhof.

Origin of the name

The Saturday after Whitsun is generally known in the region as Leslertag (after the short name of the Linslerhof “Leseln”). The meaning of the name Linslerhof can be explained by the linguistic usage at the time of its origin. Linslerhof and the common historical abbreviation Linsel or Leseln could be translated in our time as “Linden am Wasser” or “Land am Sumpf”.

The Linslerhof - owned by the Boch-Galhau family

The Fraulautern monastery was dissolved in 1789, the Linslerhof was initially nationalized and publicly auctioned off in 1791. There is a report from 1821 which mentions a household of twelve people at the Linslerhof. He lists ten horses, 17 cattle and an undisclosed number of small animals. At that time, the farm comprised 605 Lorraine dayworks. Of these, 210 were fields, 95 were meadows and 300 were fallow land.

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

When the railroad was built in 1880, Linslerhof was given its own train station. In 1891, the road from Überherrn to Differten was built and the path to the Linslerhof was planted with fruit trees on both sides.

At the turn of the century, the farm became the property of the Boch-Galhau family through an inheritance. At that time, it comprised 1,500 acres of land and an extensive area of forest and marshland. The chapel on the Linslerhof is described as an old pilgrimage chapel as early as 1153. It was completely renovated in 1995. The altar, the interior furnishings and the roof construction are attributed to Josef and Andreas Guldner from Bisten.

Today a 4 star hotel in Saarland

In the mid-1990s, when the farm’s stables and manor house were empty and slowly falling into disrepair, Brigitte and Wendelin von Boch-Galhau were faced with the choice of selling the property or making a fresh start. The renovation of the buildings would not have been worthwhile for agriculture alone. Brigitte von Boch-Galhau took it upon herself to revitalize the farm.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the cowsheds were converted into boxes for boarding horses. In 1994, a hunting school and an underground shooting range were opened on the farm – one of the most modern in Europe at the time. Hunting is a tradition that, it is said, brought Emperor Barbarossa to the Bisttal valley, which is rich in game and fish, 800 years ago. At the same time as the hunting school, the first rooms in the former manor house were furnished in the English country house style.

An idyllic setting has been created in which guests can relax, unwind or spend a romantic weekend for two. The Hotel Linslerhof now offers its guests 60 cozy rooms cozy rooms a beautiful hotel garden and three air-conditioned seminar rooms. The hunting school on the farm has a further five seminar rooms are available.

In October 1995, the former horse stable was converted into the cozy Restaurant St. Antonius (80 seats) in October 1995. The more rustic Georgstube (seating up to 90) was created a little later from the neighboring stables. The stylish St. Hubertus banqueting hall (80-120 people) with its magnificent rose garden or the beer garden under the chestnut trees round off the gastronomic offer.

Agricultural tradition

The agricultural tradition could be continued at the Linslerhof thanks to the successful and touristic concept. 50 horses graze on the Linslerhof, which today covers a total area of 250 hectares.