The past month — or rather, the last 15 days—has been absolutely crazy, let me tell you. Montenegro, Croatia, Provence, Burgundy, Paris, Switzerland, and now here we are in Italy… in my favorite region, South Tyrol. We’ve come here to “catch our breath” and enjoy the sunny days of late autumn. But I’ll save that story for another time. Today, I want to share an incredible find with you: a modern hotel that you’d never expect to discover amidst the streets of a medieval town—and one you wouldn’t even notice unless you turned down the right alley. The Badhaus Hotel and Viertel Bar are located in Brixen (Bressanone), a place I visited six years ago. This time, however, I had the pleasure of rediscovering it from an entirely new perspective.
The boutique hotel Badhaus is situated in a previously inaccessible courtyard, nestled between historic buildings in the very center of Brixen. It occupies the site of a late-medieval bathhouse. In the late Middle Ages, Brixen had three public bathhouses, one of which was located on the site of the current hotel, known as “daz padehaus an dem Griezze.” The first historical mention of this bath dates back to 1374. The site also featured a watercourse: starting at Altenmarktgasse, it flowed through the area between Hotel Schlüssel and Bürgerschalter, emerged near today’s “Speckstube” shop, and continued through Albuingasse and the seminary. Water played a significant role in the history of this location and of Brixen as a whole. It was always a gathering place—where there was water, there was life, including crafts, laundry, bathing, and more.
The idea of creating the Badhaus Hotel emerged in 2020, and by 2024, the hotel opened its doors to both guests and city residents. The hotel’s concept includes making the inner courtyard accessible not only to hotel guests but also to visitors and tourists, offering a welcoming space for relaxation and exploration. Despite the modernity of the hotel’s design, which is quite unconventional for the historic old town, local authorities were impressed by the vision of establishing a contemporary urban hotel in the heart of Brixen’s historical center. This harmonious blend of old and new has become a defining feature of the project.
The hotel features 21 suites of various sizes, divided into five categories with prices ranging from €240 to €360 per night (including breakfast). We stayed in a stunning room on the 4th floor. The highlight of our floor was a small rooftop terrace (pictured below), accessible exclusively to hotel guests. The hotel also boasts a secluded inner courtyard (mentioned earlier), adorned with art, greenery, and water features, as well as an artistic passageway for visitors to explore.
The four main materials used throughout the hotel are: clay bricks (handmade in Denmark), copper (inspired by the old bathhouse structures and water pipes), grooved glass, and black metal (steal).
The Badhaus Hotel features two architectural artworks created by Michael Fliri from Vinschgau. The concept of the artistic passageway, which leads guests into the Badhaus and the inner courtyard, was realized in collaboration with the South Tyrolean Artists Association. According to the artist’s vision, the ceiling was designed to display a “liquid star sky” composed of thousands of tiny spheres or stars. This work combines light sources and reflections, drawing inspiration from the water of the original bathhouse. The star sky also incorporates hundreds of clay hands, symbolizing handshakes, solidarity, and exchange. Another striking feature is a sculpture of a bathrobe, paying homage to the bathhouse’s history, which greets visitors at the hotel entrance. Unfortunately, during our stay, some minor construction work was taking place nearby, and we were unable to see the “bathrobe”.
Viertel Bar
The Viertel Bar is also a truly unique place. Here, you can try Viertel Bier, brewed at its own brewery in Schabs. The bar also serves an incredible buffet breakfast, which I absolutely loved. The selection of cheeses and charcuteries was fantastic, complemented by delicious lattes and omelets freshly prepared by the chefs to your order.
The floors and walls of the Viertel Bar are adorned with stunning Terrazzo Veneziano tiles by Foschini Pavimenti, while the pendant chandeliers are accented with blue Murano glass spheres. The tables are paired with iconic Y-Chairs by Hans J. Wegner, crafted by Carl Hansen (I absolutely adore these chairs!). All other wooden furniture, including the tables, was designed by Frener Design, and the bar counter was created by Niederbacher in collaboration with Foschini Pavimenti. Isn’t it simply marvelous?!
The Rooms at Badhaus
Our room on the 4th floor turned out to be one of the most beautiful. Spacious, large, and surprisingly bright, despite lacking the traditional windows we’re used to. This was a remarkable yet highly original design choice: a ribbon of fluted, semi-transparent glass running through all the floors. It allows light to flood the spaces while remaining discreet and unobtrusive.
The entire interior design was executed by Frener Design, covering furniture, chairs, tables, lighting, curtains, and flooring. In keeping with the bathhouse theme, the wet areas feature the exquisite greenish quartzite stone Quarzite Lake Tahoe, renowned for its beauty. All washbasins were carved from a single block of stone and paired with elegant copper legs. Other primary materials include painted ash wood and copper. The bedding is made of 100% linen, while the towels and robes are crafted from high-quality 100% cotton. The room colors evoke the feeling of bathing, while the stone pays homage to the bathhouse culture.
Viertel Garage
And the garage! It might seem like there’s nothing special about an ordinary underground garage, but trust me, it will surprise you! Viertel A is a designer garage created by artist Harry Thaler, featuring spiked concrete walls, a LED orientation system embedded into the wall with recesses (guiding visitors to their parking spots, where the parking number is displayed digitally), and a mirrored ceiling. A multidimensional pattern runs vertically across the entire width of the garage, resembling a knot sculpted from concrete. Thaler’s craftsmanship lies in transforming concrete into a work of art. There’s also a drinking water fountain and a touchscreen for guests, showing the route from the garage to the hotels (yes, a separate post will cover the second hotel)!
This hotel is definitely going into my top list of hotels in South Tyrol, and I would happily stay here again next time!
