Famous cliff-hanging guest house has new management
The Swiss mountain guest house that gained sudden worldwide fame after gracing the cover of National Geographic has new management. A local Appenzeller company specialising in gastronomy has taken over the Äscher-Wildkirchli inn three months after the long-time tenants decided to throw in the towel.
According to an announcement on Monday, PfefferbeereExternal link, a young culinary company from the local area, will take over the lease of the cabin nestled on a cliff in Alpstein in northeastern Switzerland. The new team is expected to welcome guests in the Äscher restaurantExternal link starting in spring 2019.
In August, Nicole and Bernhard Knechtle-Fritsche, whose family managed the restaurant for 31 years, announced they planned to hand over the reins of the property at the end of the 2018 tourist season.
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Local media quoted the couple as saying they could not keep up with demand, given the ageing infrastructure and restrictions on renovation work on the site, which is perched under a cliff at 1,450 metres above sea level. The restaurant attracted hordes of tourists after being featured in National Geographic in 2015 and gained popularity through social media.
While the external appearance of the guest house is expected to stay the same to maintain the “Äscher experience”, new investments were announced to improve the water and electricity infrastructure and sanitation facilities.
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