Tradition & History

The 4* Hotel Angelo Engel, run and guided for three generations by the family Demetz, glows with true South Tyrolean charm.

In 1547, the inn was first documented. At the time the owner Jakob von Ur had an angel (German "Engel") on the store sign.

The inn name "Ur" was used in South Tyrol's mountain towns for all inns and taverns under the churches, and therefore under the clock tower (clock in German is "Uhr").

Around 1800, the Engel was run by a local butcher.
During the second half of the 19th century, Val Gardena (Gröden Valley) was first visited by officials, soldiers and merchants.

In 1913, Martin Demetz, the son of a tradesman and art publisher, purchased the Inn "zum Engel". World War I put an abrupt stop to the budding tourism industry. South Tyrol then became part of Italy and new guests started visiting Val Gardena.

At that time, Italians discovered the beauty of the South Tyrolean mountains and the majesty of the Dolomites.

After the Second World War, Martin Junior took over the inn and renovated and rebuilt it into a modern hotel.

The hotel was then passed onto his son Oswald and daught-in-law Michele in 1990.

The elder brothers Hanspeter and Hugo Demetz planned another hotel remodelling, and it was completed in 2007. Additions we added to the Engel, and constant renovations have taken place.

The friendly atmosphere, the long-standing traditions and the Hotel Angelo Engel's Val Gardena success story will be carried on for generations to come.

"Times come and go, but the tradition remains."

Family Demetz