New life for an old monastery

A very special project recently emerged from a practice-oriented integrative course at the MCI Tourism: a new utilisation concept for the monastery of St. Martin in Gnadenwald, which is in need of renovation. Long run as a pilgrimage site by the Tertiary Sisters, the monastery is now empty and is to be revitalised. A jury selected the "Klosterlodge" concept from the ideas for use that the MCI students had developed. The jury consisted of representatives of the Diocese of Innsbruck, first and foremost Bishop Hermann Glettler and Dean Franz Angermayer, the mayor of the municipality of Gnadenwald Ulrich Mayerhofer as well as representatives of Neue Heimat Tirol and the MCI.

Situated with a magnificent view over the Inn Valley, a hunting lodge with a chapel in honour of St. Martin is said to have stood on the site of today's monastery as early as the 11th century. The first documented mention of the monastery dates back to 1337. The Tertiary Sisters from Hall moved into the monastery in 1935 and accommodated pilgrims on the Way of St. James, among others. After the departure of the Tertiary Sisters, the decaying monastery is now unused. New concepts and ideas for use have to cope with difficult general conditions: The monastery is a listed building, is located in an avalanche area and cannot be run successfully with the current capacity of 10 to 12 beds. However, the limited financial resources and above all the location in the red zone stand in the way of an expansion. On this challenging basis, MCI students were invited to develop new utilisation concepts that would also stand up to business management scrutiny.

MCI professor Christoph Engl, who supervised the students together with his colleague Margit Schäfer, explains: "The students had the task of developing alternative utilisation ideas in the form of a business plan. In doing so, they were to consciously approach the limits of what is feasible and what is permissible." Out of a total of 10 group proposals, four were selected and presented to the jury. In the end, the winning project was the "Klosterlodge" concept, which envisages renting out the monastery for smaller groups of up to 25 people. The rooms can be used, for example, for workshops, seminars, team building, cooking seminars, but also for stays by families or individual travel groups. And of course, the monastery is also a wonderful setting for smaller celebrations. If required, external catering can be booked. The St. Martin Monastery is to be marketed via its own website, among other things.

Other ideas that were in the final round with the "Klosterlodge": "Silent Retreat" would like to make St. Martin a place of power and silence. The "House of Diversity", on the other hand, would combine rented flats with a café as a social community space as well as an art space. The "Klosterbrauerei" picks up on the craft beer trend and combines the centuries-old tradition of beer and monastery. What all the ideas have in common is that the monastery should be available for locals and guests alike.