As Time Goes By 

 It all began in 1937 

Velden on Lake Wörthersee

A little bit of paradise

The Small Coffee House

In 1937 Josef Politzky of Vienna, together with his wife Julianna, decided to open a summer coffeehouse near to the Castle in Velden.

Staying in the town converted our Viennese into an enthusiastic Velden resident. Soon afterwards he purchased the original family business premises on the Corso, thus laying the foundations for today’s “Politzky enterprises”. The guests were close to his heart and only the best was good enough for them.

Quality, tradition and innovation

The trained chef and master confectioner, Josef Politzky, quickly made a name for himself with the finest of Viennese pastries. True to his motto “only the best for the guest”, he made an enduring impression on the quality tourism that was taking off on Lake Wörthersee in the ‘60s. He provided great entertainment, with live music at his 5-o’clock-teas. And he breathed new life into Velden nightlife with his legendary “Ross Stall Bar”, where many well-known musicians performed until the late ‘80s.

The patisserie–the heart of the matter

It wasn’t long before the small coffeehouse near the Castle could no longer cope with the growing demand for Politzky’s sweet delicacies. The new site on Velden’s Corso didn’t just provide more production-space. Thanks to its various rooms, such as the "Mocca Stub'n", the "Bonbonniere Stüberl", and a huge open-air garden-restaurant, it also provided more space for more guests. To improve comfort on cooler days and in the evenings the garden-restaurant was soon equipped with heating - back then a real innovation. The little coffeehouse by the Castle carried on as a subsidiary business until the end of the 1990s.

The Ross-Stall

Vienna-born Josef Politzky was transformed into an enthusiastic citizen of Velden. Yet, this neo-Carinthian never lost his Viennese “Fiaker” spirit. Despite his love for modern music, he quickly became sentimental when someone struck up a Viennese song – most particularly “Stellt’s meine Ross in Stall…” - or when Bruce Low’s deep voice was to be heard singing “Es hängt ein Pferdehalfter an der Wand”.

So, it’s hardly surprising that, when Josef Politzky and his wife opened their first bar in 1963 they named it “Ross-Stall-Bar”. A host of popular musicians and bands performed at the Ross Stall, among them Mandi from the Bambis, the Firebirds, The Four Jacks as well as DJ Frederic. For some of them this was where their career started and they later recalled it with grateful memories.

"Julischka" - The Next Generation

Juliane’s and Josef Politzky‘s daughter learned her father’s trade from the bottom up. After her Master’s exam as a qualified confectioner, she took over her parents’ business in 1984, continuing to run it in the same spirit as they had done, under the motto “Preserve what’s good whilst daring to try what’s new”.

After Velden Casino was built, came the next big step in the history of the Politzky family – the take-over of the rebuilt CasinoHotel.

In 2007 the success of this family-run 4-star hotel prompted construction of a modern addition to the historic building, providing 18 differently decorated rooms and a new seminar room.

The construction of its own gourmet-standard restaurant, enabled the CasinoHotel complex to complete its range of businesses.

Manuel - The 3rd Trick

Following his school education and the completion of his apprenticeship as a chef, Julischka Politzky’s younger son, Manuel, took on an increasing share of responsibilities for the parental business. Above all he made the Music Club - housed on the premises - a Lake Wörthersee hotspot.

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