Waldwirtschaft Großhesselohe
Waldwirtschaft Großhesselohe is a historic Bavarian brewery tavern and beer garden on the high bank of the Isar south of Munich.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Waldwirtschaft Großhesselohe, commonly known as the Waldwirtschaft, is a historic tavern and large beer garden in the Großhesselohe ward of Pullach, Bavaria, immediately south of Munich. The establishment occupies a prominent wooded site on a fluvial terrace above the Isar and is associated with Bavarian hospitality, outdoor dining, beer service, music, and local leisure culture. Although the modern venue is presented as a hospitality destination, its identity rests on a much older agricultural, ecclesiastical, and civic history. The property is first recorded in 776, when a dairy associated with Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria, was transferred with the hamlet of Baierbrunn to Schäftlarn Abbey. In 1301, the property—described in medieval terms as woodland with a dairy—was sold by Konrad von Baierbrunn to the Holy Spirit Hospital of Munich. The hospital used the dairy and surrounding farms to help provision poor residents of the city. Following a fire and the withdrawal of the Order of the Holy Spirit from Munich, the hospital’s properties ultimately passed to the City of Munich. A public licence for the brewery tavern was granted in the fifteenth century, establishing the site’s long-standing role as a place where food, drink, and social activity were combined. By the eighteenth century, Hesselohe was described as a small hamlet containing a hermitage and a church. Its location among trees beside the Isar attracted visitors from Munich, including people attending religious observances connected with the Chapel of the Holy Trinity. From the eighteenth century, an annual Whitsun celebration took place in the surrounding woodland, further strengthening the area’s role as a recreational and community gathering place. From 1779, an annual fair was held at the dairy alongside the religious celebration. The fair appears to have been connected with the financial pressures facing the Holy Spirit Hospital, which sought permission to stage a festival on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. During the Napoleonic Wars, the dairy’s tenants became insolvent. The City of Munich then authorized an auction intended to raise liquidity, and Munich café owner Paul Schröfl became the new owner. He developed the site as an entertainment destination, including a dance pavilion among the trees and additional lodges used by private associations, especially Munich artist groups. The surviving main building is a two-winged, hipped-roof structure dating from the middle of the nineteenth century. Together with the neighbouring Chapel of the Holy Trinity, it is protected as a listed historic monument. This architectural setting, the woodland location, and the open-air beer garden form the core of the venue’s contemporary positioning: a traditional Bavarian excursion and dining site with strong links to Munich’s cultural and recreational life. Sepp Krätz served as publican from 1981 and also operated the Hippodrome Festival Tent at Oktoberfest from 1995 through 2014. The Waldwirtschaft therefore became connected not only with its local beer-garden tradition but also with one of Munich’s best-known festival hospitality operators. Publicly available reference material identifies the venue primarily as a tavern and beer garden rather than as a packaged-goods brand or a diversified hospitality group. Its principal brand assets are the historic property, the surrounding landscape, Bavarian food and drink, seasonal outdoor service, and its proximity to Munich.
History
The site now known as the Waldwirtschaft Großhesselohe has a documented history extending back to the early medieval period. In 776, a dairy connected with Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria, was transferred together with Baierbrunn to Schäftlarn Abbey. The property later left ecclesiastical ownership. In 1301, Konrad von Baierbrunn sold the woodland and dairy property to the Holy Spirit Hospital of Munich, which used its farms to support the city’s poor. After a fire and institutional changes involving the Order of the Holy Spirit, the hospital and its agricultural holdings came under the City of Munich. The site had received a public licence for a brewery tavern by the fifteenth century. Its role was reinforced by the character of Hesselohe, which eighteenth-century descriptions portray as a small settlement with a hermitage and a church. The location attracted Munich residents seeking religious observances and recreation. Woodland celebrations held around Whitsun, connected with the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, helped establish a recurring pattern of public gatherings beside the Isar. In 1779, an annual fair was introduced at the dairy to coincide with the religious festivities. The event was likely encouraged by the financial problems of the Holy Spirit Hospital, which had sought permission for a festival associated with the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The property experienced further difficulty during the Napoleonic Wars, when its tenants became bankrupt. The City of Munich agreed to an auction, and Paul Schröfl, a Munich café owner, acquired the property. Schröfl expanded its recreational appeal by building a dance pavilion among the trees and adding lodges used by private groups, particularly artists from Munich. The present historic tavern building is a two-winged structure with a hipped roof, generally dated to the mid-nineteenth century. It and the nearby Chapel of the Holy Trinity are listed buildings. The combination of protected architecture, mature woodland, and an elevated position above the Isar became central to the site’s identity as a destination for food, drink, social gatherings, and excursions from Munich. Sepp Krätz became the publican in 1981. His hospitality activities also included the Hippodrome Festival Tent at the Oktoberfest, which he ran from 1995 to 2014. Through this connection, the Waldwirtschaft was associated with the broader Munich festival and beer-hospitality scene while retaining its character as a local tavern and beer garden. The available reference material does not establish a separate packaged-product business, corporate group, public listing, or broad international operating network. The brand is best understood as the identity of a historic hospitality venue whose value derives from place, tradition, architecture, food, drink, and outdoor social experience.
- 2014
End of Krätz’s Hippodrome Festival Tent operation
[1]Sepp Krätz’s operation of the Hippodrome Festival Tent at Oktoberfest ended after a period running from 1995.
- 1995
Hippodrome Oktoberfest operation began
[1]Sepp Krätz began operating the Hippodrome Festival Tent at Oktoberfest, a role he held through 2014.
- 1981
Sepp Krätz became publican
[1]Sepp Krätz began serving as publican of the Waldwirtschaft.
- 1850
Historic tavern building constructed
[1]The surviving two-winged, hipped-roof tavern building dates from the middle of the nineteenth century. The exact construction year is not specified.
- 1800
Property auctioned after tenant insolvency
[1]During the Napoleonic Wars, tenant bankruptcies led the City of Munich to authorize an auction; café owner Paul Schröfl became the new owner. The exact year is not specified.
- 1782
Hesselohe described as a popular hamlet
[1]A description of Hesselohe recorded a small settlement with a hermitage and church and noted its popularity among Munich residents.
- 1779
Annual fair introduced
[1]An annual fair began at the dairy in connection with the area’s religious celebrations.
- 1400
Public tavern licensing established by the fifteenth century
[1]The brewery tavern had obtained a public licence by the fifteenth century. The exact year is not specified in the reference material.
Earliest recorded association with the property
[1]A dairy associated with Tassilo III, Duke of Bavaria, was transferred with Baierbrunn to Schäftlarn Abbey.
Property transferred to the Holy Spirit Hospital of Munich
[1]The woodland and dairy property was sold by Konrad von Baierbrunn to the Holy Spirit Hospital, which used its farms to provision poor residents of Munich.
Products and positioning
A traditional Bavarian tavern and destination beer garden combining historic architecture, woodland surroundings above the Isar, regional food and drink, and Munich-area leisure culture.
Hospitality and regional cuisine
Bavarian food service
The Waldwirtschaft’s core commercial offering is on-premises dining in a traditional Bavarian tavern and beer-garden environment. Available reference material identifies the venue as a brewery tavern and does not provide a definitive current menu, so individual dishes are not specified here. The food proposition is closely tied to regional hospitality, outdoor dining, and the site’s long-standing role as a destination for visitors from Munich.
Beverages
Beer and beverage service
Beer service is central to the venue’s identity as a brewery tavern and beer garden. The brand is associated with the social tradition of drinking and dining outdoors in a wooded Bavarian setting. The supplied sources do not identify a specific brewery partner, proprietary beer label, or current beverage portfolio.
Beer garden and outdoor hospitality
Waldwirtschaft beer garden
The large beer garden is the venue’s most distinctive customer-facing offering. Located among trees on the high bank of the Isar, it combines outdoor seating with the atmosphere of a historic excursion site. Its appeal comes from the landscape and setting as much as from the food and beverage service.
Sources2 sources
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