TRADITION

A HOUSE WITH TRADITION

The Zwergschlösschen was built around 1870 in the former craftsmen settlement, Untermhaus. It was opened as early as 1891 by the family Anton Fritz as a day trip and wine destination. At that time, the historic half-timbered house served as a shelter in which travellers and citizens could rent rooms and small apartments. The restaurant was in the adjoining building.

From 1949, Gera was under Soviet administration and the medical staff of the Russian hospital inhabited the Zwergschlösschen.

In 1979, the building became a guesthouse of the Free German Trade Union Confederation after long demolition and reconstruction work. Walli Werner, grandmother of today`s owner, was employed as a manager. In 1981, her daughter Renate Lips, together with her husband Hans Lips, also began to work at the Zwergschlösschen.

With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, they rented the Zwergschlösschen and opened a Pension.

In 1992, they acquired the property, and so began a new family investment. It was not long before their daughter returned home and joined them in the family business in 1993.

Together, the family restructured the small hotel building with eighteen rooms, reception, breakfast room and kitchen in 1994. In the historic half-timbered house today, you will find the restaurant with three comfortable guestrooms, a play corner for children, and the kitchen.

In 2003, Hans and Renate Lips transferred the company to their daughter Monika. As a Certified Master of Hospitality, she makes high quality demands and since then, the company has developed into a three-star superior hotel with a restaurant.

The growing company offers a total of six employees a permanent workplace in the areas of restaurant and hotel. Additionally, apprentices enrich the team.

In 2020, son Fabian joined the company as a trained chef and has been leading the kitchen team ever since. Influenced by his training under the well-known Michelin-starred chef Claus Alboth, he pursues the idea of very fresh and high-quality cuisine. In his dishes, he combines tradition with modernity.

Due to its proximity to the Dwarf caves between Milbitz and Untermhaus, the Zwergschlösschen is closely linked to the well-known Gera legend of the Dwarf King Coryllis. The wall paintings in the entrance of the restaurant represent scenes from this legend. The caves date from the builder’s period and were reopened and restored during renovations in 2005.

Our family is very proud of this long tradition. In our daily work, it inspires us to preserve history and to link it with the advantages of modernity.