ludinmuehle.de
The natural environment of the Black Forest is our most valuable asset – the clear air, the lush meadows, the cool woodland, and all the diverse species that live in them. The people of the region take care of this landscape and keep its customs and traditions alive.
For generations now, our goal at the Ludinmühle has been not only to satisfy you as our guest, but to go one step further and delight you. Your personal wellbeing is close to our heart. We create a family atmosphere in our 4 star Superior hotel & spa in the Black Forest – somewhere you can really feel at home. Let yourself be pampered by our friendly and approachable team.
To safeguard our values in the long term and to preserve them for future generations, we are committed to sustainable management. We combine tradition and innovation.
1702 – 1883: From mill to guest house
The Ludinmühle is situated in the centre of Freiamt‑Brettental and is a hotel with a long tradition. A mill owned by the Ludin family is mentioned as far back as 300 years ago, in 1702. The owner, Andreas Ludin, also ran a public bath here and possibly a restaurant.
From 1790 the Ludinmühle was granted Schildenwirtschaft, the right to provide overnight accommodation to guests. The establishment officially operated under the name of Zur Sonne (The Sun Inn), but most of its guests just called it the Ludinmühle(Ludin Mill). Even by 1872 it still had only one guest room with two beds.
In 1883 one of the Ludins’ daughters married into the Herr family, who were the ancestors of our current senior director, Daniel Bühler.
1962 to today: from two rooms to a first class hotel
Daniel Bühler took over the business from his grandparents in 1962. Since the mill stream was not delivering enough water, the mill ceased operations in 1968. The landholdings, which up to that point had been used for agriculture, were leased out.
From the mid‑1960s, tourism became the Bühler family’s main source of income. Whereas they had formerly had only two guest rooms (one single and one double), they now undertook building and renovation work to create bright new space. The name of the guest house was now officially changed from Gasthaus Zur Sonne (Sun Inn) to the Ludinmühle. More expansion and renovation followed.
In 1983 current host Walter Zimmermann married Ingrid Bühler, and the Ludinmühle continued its transformation into a 4 star Superior Black Forest hotel. Every staff member, from the kitchen crew to the service staff to the apprentices, is passionate about the wellbeing of our guests.
Today the Ludinmühle is a Black Forest Hotel & Spa with 5 Wellness Stars, exclusive rooms and suites, an outstanding range of spa facilities and treatments, and superb gourmet cuisine.
Find out more about the history of the Ludinmühle in the books Die Ludinmühle – von der Dorfwirtschaft zum First-Class-Hotel (The Ludinmühle – from a Village Inn to a First-Class Hotel) and Hotel Ludinmühle im Schwarzwald (Hotel Ludinmühle in the Black Forest).
Here at the Ludinmühle 4 star Superior hotel we are committed to sustainable management. This means maintaining active awareness of the environment and of the quality of service we provide, and developing our employees. This is evident, for example, in our:
Sustainable use of energy and materials
- Our pools are heated via a CO2-neutral wood chip heating system. The wood comes from a neighbouring sawmill and is thus locally sourced.
- The system supplies all environmentally friendly, cost‑effective and sustainable heat not only to the Ludinmühle but also to several neighbouring houses, the former school, the fire station and the church in Brettental.
- We use certified green energy, which is generated by hydropower in Iffezheim.
- We also have an in‑house photovoltaic system which enables us to generate our own energy, and which supplies most of the energy needed to run our laundry.
- The sauna cabin in the garden was built with natural wood from our own woodland.
- The organic hay in our hay beds is locally produced.
Use of regional products for sustainable cuisine
In the kitchen at our gourmet hotel in the Black Forest, we place particular emphasis on regional products.
- Our venison and wild boar come from animals caught on our own grounds.
- We source products such as beef, pork, spelt bread and schnapps from an organic farm within the Black Forest.
- Our wild herbs come from the Zimmermann family, who are relatives of our hotel manager.
- Our head chef Hilda Bühler bakes cakes and tortes according to traditional family recipes.
- Many of our 280 different wines come from the region (Markgräflerland, Breisgau, Ortenau, Pfalz).
- We consciously buy products from regional businesses so as to avoid excessive food miles and respect the environment.
Sustainable work for local people in the region
Every year we train apprentices in all aspects of hotel management. We place great value on training and support for our younger stay