In 1874, the family farm in Hartershofen, a small village in the municipality of Steinsfeld at the foot of the Frankenhöhe in Middle Franconia, was built and managed by Leonhard Dombacher. The name Gasthof “zum Schwan” came from a small lake in which a swan was swimming.
At that time it was run mainly as a farm and the economy on the side, which offered only drinks and eat on holidays, which was then taken over in 1930 by Fritz Schaumann senior, the son-in-law.
His son, Fritz Schaumann Junior, took over the guesthouse in 1959 and completed the first guest rooms in the house in 1966. In 1972, an expansion of the building was carried out with the addition of a hall and guest rooms above. As a result, the guesthouse developed as the main source of income and they abandoned agriculture, except for the cattle trade. 6 years later, in 1978, the expansion of the guest room followed. The guests were welcomed in the morning with a hearty breakfast. For lunch each man had lunch and for supper a rich snack. His wife Luise Schaumann took care of the catering, and he left the service and office work in his hands.
As the demand for overnight accommodations continued to grow, the Schaumann family expanded the guesthouse with the addition of a floor to the house in 1985, over the addition of the guest room, thus creating 2 new guest rooms as well as a home of their own for Eugen and Gabi. In 1990, the Schaumann family gave up the cattle business and tore down the barn, and built garages for the hotel guests. Through the hospitality of the Schaumann family, they gained a good reputation for themselves and the inn in the surroundings of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and established themselves as hosts in the Rothenburg area.
In January 1994, Fritz Schaumann Junior retired with his wife. Eugen Schaumann (son of Fritz & Luise Schaumann, chef) and his wife Gabriele Schaumann (hotel manager) took over the continuation of the inn “zum Schwan”. In the following year, 1995, a terrace was added in front of the house, which is at ground level with the economy. In 1996, the rooms in the main house had to be renovated and the bathrooms, floor coverings, beds, windows and TV sets were brought up to date.
Guest farm with guest house (about 100 m from the main house) today has
The Schaumann family offers guests a rich breakfast buffet in the restaurant in the morning. Furthermore, in summer the terrace also invites you to breakfast, lunch and dinner under the linden trees.
Since 1992 the inn “zum Schwan” belongs to the interest group “Schlemmereien aus Landgasthöfen”. This is an association of several country guesthouses in the Frankenhöhe region around Rothenburg ob der Tauber. These gourmet weeks are held every year for 1 month, usually starting in October. At the moment there are 7 inns that present gourmet delights under different themes.
The guest house is located about 100 meters from the main house and has always been owned by the Schaumann family. Until 1972 the house was called “Schandarmhaus”, because the police of the village, formerly called Schandarm, worked and lived there at that time.In 1973 the house was empty for a year and then the Schaumann family decided to expand their guest rooms and converted the second floor into four guest rooms and the first floor was used for private purposes. As these showed an investment backlog. Due to the increasing occupancy in the accommodation sector, work is being done on planning the renovation, as the guest rooms no longer meet the current standard of the guesthouse. Cost estimates for this have already been obtained from various companies. New curtains are planned as well as carpeting. Rooms will be repainted or re-carpeted and bathrooms re-tiled and sinks fitted with a mixer tap, tube TVs replaced with flat screen TVs. In order to provide the guests with a restful sleep new mattresses are purchased. To create an appealing atmosphere, Mrs. Schaumann personally takes care of the decoration and final design of the rooms. This is 3 of 4 rooms in the guest house of the inn. A guest room is converted for private use and is therefore not interesting for renovation.
