Vacation 1
Vacation 2

The Deppisch Family

last change: 02.09.10

Family history

About the history of the golden triple star: Hotel Anker, Restaurant Weinhaus Anker and Weingut Joosef Deppisch (wine-growing estate).

In 1872 (125 years ago) Josef Deppisch, the son of the “Anker”-landlord in rothenfels bought the restaurant “Zum goldenen Anker” with “Weingerechtsame” (the right to serve it), a few guest rooms, vineyards at the Kreuzberg, a garden restaurant and a house garden in Marktheidenfeld. According to the organisation to protect historical monuments, the house was built almost 400 years ago as a sandstone and half timbering house (no decorative half-timering) in the upperpart, and is registerd as a monument. The room with wood panelling in old Franconian style on the right side of the Hallway has been used as a restaurant ever since. The Deppisch family is provable a wine-grower and landlord family since the thirty-year-war (400 years ago).

Theo Deppisch, the senior boss in our house, learned wine-growing starting from the bottom. Throught the love for the wine, that at first was just cultivated for the restaurants needs, an own wine-growing estate developed. The guest rooms developed to a hotel of its own, which oppened in 1971 as a separate hotel garni (only with breakfast) in the “Torhaus”. Hermann Kerscher, who worked in the restaurant Weinhaus Anker for serveral years as a cook, took it in lease in 1970 and managed it with his wife for 30 years then. There have always been celebretis from politicans, showbuisness and economy in the hotel and the restaurant. They liked to stop by their way from Bonn to Munich. The hotel and its restaurant was famous and made Marktheidenfeld well-known. The top cuisine the family Kerscher provided was soon awarded with a star in the guide Michelin.

Finally, the house in the old-town of Marktheidenfeld got to small. The wine-growing estate moved to Erlenbach in 1976, where the modern winery is situated today. Through the free space, the hotel was able to expand. In 1980 a big part of the state (the “Hofgartenhaus”) was completely renovated. Traces of the old wine-growing estate are the many connected cellars and many historic tools from the winery and vineculture, that can be found everywhere thoughout the property. The big cellar with the old wood barrels is about 400 years old and one of the oldest sundstone vaults in Marktheidenfeld.

The backside of the Hofgartenhaus is the old town-wall itself, that forms a circle around the ancient city. Since 1993, the parents gave the resposibility for the wine-growing-estate and the hotel to their two sons Johannes and Dr. Josef Deppisch. The wine-growing estate was awarded with a lot of prices for its extra ordinary wines. Bocksbeutel (a special bottleshape for franconian wine) from the Deppisch family can be found in the best restaurants even outside of Germany. Dr. Josef Deppisch was not a hotel specialist at the very beginnig. As a skilled physicist he got his graduation in brain research with honour. Together with his wife elisabeth he leads the hotel Anker with many new ideas and visions of the synthesis between tradition and innovation.

Already one year after the taking over the four-star-hotel in 1994, conference facilities have been opened, and the sofisticated conference concept “Sprudelnde Ideen verankern” (to establish all the ideas that spring forth) could be realised. It ensures an extraordinary high learn success throught the remarkable ideas. In 1994, the Hotel Anker got a price for its enviromental awareness from the bavarian government for the first time. In 1999 the conference area “Lebensraum”, concepted and built for communication oriented and interactive practicas and seminars, opened. Young leadingship and excellent employee motivation characterises the tradinional family business. In every corner of the hotel, the creativity of the family and the employees can be seen. Maybe the often rewarded excellent wines from the family owned franconian winery do their share, too. Important for the motivation and the fulfilment of such a high hotel standard is a constant training for the employees but also the family members.

Part of the philosophie is to facilitate the individual guest as well as the participant of the practise and seminars with a complet experience “Franconien full of life”. That includes for example the firstclass meals from the remmowned Gourmet-restaurant “Weinhaus Anker” easy sociably evenings in the, in 1995 new opened ethnic wine-cellar-pub “Schöpple” or in the historic wood-bramel-cellar as well as great brealfast experience. Extensive daytrip programm, that can be organised by the hotel (as "Mystic wood, lifing water, franconian wines") show the great variety of the beautiful surrounding between the “Spessart”-forest, river Main-valley and franconian wine land. So the “Anker”- it self an experience - is the starting point for exiting holidays.

Wine and guests - our calling. We love our profession!