From tradition to art

Over a century old, the Cafè Imperial is a fixture that has witnessed and survived many historical and political changes as well as touristic and cultural developments, while at the same time preserving its very unique flair. Built as a royal delicatessen and confectionery in 1899 the modest art-nouveau building has been opened by Josef Schlechtleitner in 1923 as Tea room according to the zeitgeist of the time using exclusive, stylish furniture. The foundation was laid for a successful synergy between art and coffee house. Thanks to accompanying piano music every night , the so-called Westminster soon became the town's first-choice "living room", a place, where people met to talk about art and make sophisticated conversation. Thanks to the support and influence of the Arch Duchess of Pistoia, who liked to have her cognac served on the promenade, the license to serve alcohol was finally obtained as well.
The Westminster survived World War II nearly unscathed as an international meeting place for the cultivated, bourgeois society and only lost its name during the fascist regime because leaders at the time considered it too hostile, too English. Josef Schlechtleitner, quick and inventive as he was, changed the name from Westminster to Cafè Imperial(e), an allusion to its legendary namesake in Vienna. The fascists were happy about the alleged honor of Italy's imperialistic endeavors, but other than that, little changed.
Josef Schlechtleitner's son Klaus took the Cafè ofer in 1971 with his wife Erna. The place was completely redesigned by Herbert Kinkelin, transforming the slightly old-fashioned Viennese Kaffeehaus into a trendy 1970s Cafè, complete with slightly psychedelic red and orange wallpaper and the famous white tulip chairs.
Finally, in the fall of 2009, Alfred Strohmer, son of a well-known Meran hotelier, bought the Cafè Imperial with the conviction that little effort would be needed to modernize it; he intended to transform the rooms located above the Cafè Imperial into a branch of the existing Hotel Europa Splendid in the vicinity. In the end, though, things turned out differently. The positive reaction of the Meran population and the intensive research on the fascinating history made realize Mr. Stohmer that here was the opportunity to create something extraordinary for the city of Merano. The rooms were to be individually designed by renowned artists as homage to Merano's long traditiona as a cultural destination. In close collaboration with the nearby gallery of contemporary art KUNST MERAN and its director Herta Wolf Torggler there have been involved three Meranese artists: Elisabeth Hölzl, Ulrich Egger and Marcello Jori, which have been involved from the start of the initial planning phase and they have created a work of art whose visual appeal encompasses the entire building and opens up vistas onto diverse worlds of color and style.  Another key factor for the success of this arthotel project was selecting that right architect; a friend of Alfred Strohmer, the architects' office Stuppner-Unterweger Architektur.

The transformation into the Designhotel ImperialArtwas completed in summer 2010 - A place where hospitality and art seamlessly intertwine.