Delightful destinations for dachshund lovers
German museum and Austrian ski lodge pay homage to the little wieners
OUTSIDE the Dackelmuseum in Passau, Germany, I dropped to the cobblestone pavement to greet its four-legged ambassadors, 1-year-old siblings Moni and Little Seppi. The black-and-tan shorthaired dachshunds sniffed me, then Little Seppi reached up to gently lick my face.
A kiss so soon? I felt special, though I’m guessing I was one of hundreds he’d smooched since the Dackelmuseum, or Dachshund Museum, opened in April. The 262m space pays homage to the pooch that originated in Germany and first was bred for hunting badgers.
Even before the debut of the world’s first museum devoted to the wonders of the wiener dog, the quirky attraction had garnered much media attention. The museum sports around 4 000 pieces of wienerabilia and an unrivalled dachshundthemed gift shop.
I learned of it because my Facebook page filled up with links from friends who know I go bonkers for the breed.
Since Passau, an attractive historic city in south-eastern Germany, is only a day’s drive from my home in the Netherlands, I immediately put a visit on my shortlist. Then a friend mentioned the Teckel Hotel, run by a Dutch couple in the Austrian Alps devoted to “teckels”, the Dutch word for dachshund. This being only a few hours south-west of Passau, my “teckel tour” was on. (Alas, I didn’t have time to squeeze in a side trip to Posh Teckel, a Berlin bar and music club run by dachshund owners who also organise wiener-dog walks.)
In the baroque centre of Passau, situated along the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers, it’s easy to spot the Dackelmuseum during opening hours. Co-owners Seppi Küblbeck and his long-time partner, Oliver Storz, who arrived during my visit, adorn the exterior with dachshundshaped benches, watering cans and more. On nice days you’re likely to find one or both of the men, often with Moni and Little Seppi, sitting outside in their knee-length lederhosen chatting up passersby, of which there are many.
When the two started dating 21 years ago, Küblbeck had a longhaired dachshund which initially would turn her backside to Storz, but grew to love him. Moni and Little Seppi are the couple’s third generation of dachshunds.
Over the years, the men, who are both medal-winning master florists and once owned a shop together, collected dachshund memorabilia during their travels and ended up with several hundred pieces.
The next day, armed with a stack of Dackelmuseum brochures to take to the Teckel Hotel, I headed down to the mountain resort town of Mayrhofen in the western Austrian region of Tyrol, an hour from Innsbruck.
I was greeted with a five-bark salute by Penny, the wire-haired matriarch (along with sister Pip), but was disappointed to find an empty lawn – until I learned that all the hounds were out hiking. Of course.
The 15-room hotel, which is a compact and comfortable ski lodge in the winter (teckels are welcome year-round), is a dachshund’s delight in the summer.
Owners Eric and Anneliese van den Broeke have gone to great lengths to satisfy canine and human customers, adding amenities such as a doggy pool, washing tub, bowls of water everywhere, secure play areas inside and out, and comfy chairs all over. Rooms come equipped with a dog bed, bowl and branded biscuits, and dogs are even allowed at the breakfast table.
As Eric predicted, later that afternoon, an impromptu yappy hour occurred, though my prayers for playing with a dozen dachshunds went unanswered. The dogs were more interested in their owners and each other, so I befriended humans instead.