Since 1350
The oldest still existing inn in Salzburg.
A last look over the shoulder at the city, which peacefully began its day’s work in the morning sun, then the entourage left home at the Outer Stone Gate and an adventurous journey began. It led along the old Roman road past Gut Fürberg, along the Salzach Valley and further over the Lueg Pass towerfen, over the Tauern and Katschberg into the Carinthian region. If after around eight days you were lucky enough to get to Kötschach-Mauthen and over the Plöcken Pass undisturbed by robbers, storms and other incidents, the next stops were Tolmezzo, Udine and finally Portogruaro, where you loaded the goods onto boats and finally, finally, in the most illustrious, Venice, the destination of the trip, you could dock.
Our house founders were not innkeepers. Today they would more likely be described as mining industrialists; in the past they were said to be tradespeople. Martin Aufner came from the noble Aufner family. He belonged to the Hedgehog League, in which knights and cities articulated their complaints to the archbishops and demanded their rights. He also held the office of mayor of Salzburg twice.
As a trade, he owned land and mining rights in Gastein and Rauris. For an annual rental shilling, he collected all the income that flowed to the archbishopric in the mining areas of Salzburg and Carinthia. He was one of the first to export silver and arsenic to Venice, in whose banks he invested his capital. On the return journey from Venice, citrus fruits, anchovies, capers, olive oil, wine, almond milk, spices and delicacies such as oysters came to Salzburg and enriched the city’s cuisine. Our house probably already existed around 1350: it was first mentioned in 1360 as “Martin des Aufners Haws”.
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