History
A prestigious history
The Grand Hotel Dobbiaco was opened in 1878 by the Austro-Hungarian Southern Railway Company, which had built the railway connecting the Austrian town of Lienz to Fortezza (Franzenfeste). Under Ignaz and Elise Überbacher, who were initially its tenants and later its owners, the hotel evolved into a classy destination for royalty. The European higher aristocracy and moneyed nobility used to have their summer rendezvous at the Grand Hotel Dobbiaco – among them the German heir to the throne Friedrich, King Albert of Saxony and the Rothschilds. During the First World War, the Grand Hotel Dobbiaco was converted into a military hospital, and later had to file for bankruptcy due to the economic crisis that hit the world after the war.
There were numerous changes of ownership, until the hotel became property of the Italian State and was assigned to the Pontificia Opera di Assistenza, a religious relief organisation that used it as a summer resort for children in need.
Grand Hotel
Dobbiaco today
Nowadays, the Grand Hotel Dobbiaco is owned by the Province of South Tyrol. After undergoing extensive renovation works, it now houses the Euregio Cultural Centre, a concert hall with excellent acoustics that hosts renowned music events, and the Dobbiaco Youth Hostel as well as the 3 Peaks Nature Park House.