Anna Hauser (née Seibl) takes over the Stanglwirt in the war year of 1944 and shows many excellent qualities. She does every kind of work without hesitation, is an excellent cook and shares Marie's enjoyment of singing. She also gets along perfectly with Alois Hofer, the young Ebner farmer from the neighbouring farm, who is a friend and singing partner of the old Stanglwirt hostess.
After military service, which claimed the lives of two of his four brothers, Alois Hofer looks after his sick father's farm and also helps out on the Stanglwirt farm. It is the love of singing that brings him and Anna together and they quickly become a couple.
Alois and Anna, together with his sister Liesi, form the legendary "Stangl Trio", which becomes famous throughout the land as a unique musical triad. And there is soon even more reason to celebrate when in November 1944, daughter Maria arrives, followed almost two years later, in August 1946, by the current host of Stanglwirt, Balthasar Hauser.
While Anna sees to the gastronomic side of things, Alois is in charge of the farm. Together, the hard-working couple are responsible for looking after and entertaining the guests, ensuring that the Stanglwirt's popularity knows no bounds.
Taking "Everybody should feel at home here" as her motto, the young Stanglwirt hostess brings new life to the inn and the singers' gathering she establishes in 1949 becomes one of the most famous folk music gatherings in the Alpine region.
The singers' gathering that is held twice a year from 1949 finally makes the Stanglwirt famous. The crowds it attracts force the business to expand, with the result that a window to the cowshed is revealed in the inn. Alois quickly realises the potential of this "problem" and to the great consternation of the architect, wants to keep the cowshed view.
This proves to be a wise decision, as it becomes one of the greatest tourist attractions in the Stanglwirt and something that has never been done before; guests eating at the inn being able to watch the cows.
At the end of the 1950s, the Stanglwirt already has a few guest rooms and urgently needs a separate breakfast room. The result is the cosy "Stubei" on the upper floor, which quickly becomes the preferred room for private parties.
When the cable car is being built at St. Johann, many of the workers visit the Stanglwirt for their snacks between meals as well, which results in something that was a complete novelty at the time: hot food served all day. The Stanglwirt is now of interest to organised tourism, and many guests visit the hotel, even in the off-season.
Along with her heavy involvement in the Stanglwirt, Anna Hauser is also active in many other areas of the community. She supports the church and in 1961, co-initiates the foundation of the "Goinger Schützenkompanie", makes suggestions for hiking paths, is the co-founder of the Bergliftgesellschaft (lift and cable car association), and promotes mountaineering and winter sports in the region. She is also very successful in the field of economic policy and turns the Stanglwirt into a favourite venue for conventions and congresses.
It ends unexpectedly and far too soon
The cost of converting the kitchen, which started in 1963, way exceeds the allocated budget, and when the tax authorities also start taking an interest, the mood at the Stanglwirt becomes gloomy and has a negative impact on the health of the Stanglwirt hostess. In June 1964, Anna complains of being in pain. As her condition rapidly worsens, she is taken to the Kettenbrücke sanatorium in Innsbruck.
Not long afterwards, the family is given the sad new that Anna is dying. At the young age of 49, Anna Hauser dies on 21 June 1964 and leaves behind a grand inheritance.
Hard times lie ahead
Anna's elder daughter Maria immediately takes over the helm. She has already been helping out in the inn and knows how things work. But it is only thanks to the great support she receives from all the staff that she is just able to keep the inn open. Money is tight and sometimes it almost gets to the stage of having the electricity cut off.
