A Gasthaus (also called ''Gasthof'', ''Landhaus'', or ''Pension'') is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

-style

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

with a

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

, a

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

facilities and

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s for

rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

. Gasthäuser are typically found in smaller towns and are often

family-owned A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by blood, marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business and the willingn ...

. It is common for three generations of a family to work together in such an establishment, and many have been owned by the same family for generations. Gasthäuser are common in

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, and other countries in

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around Germany. Some are decorated with mural paintings (called

Lüftlmalerei Lüftlmalerei (also spelt ''Lüftelmalerei'') is a form of mural art that is native to villages and towns of southern Germany and Austria, especially in Upper Bavaria ( Werdenfelser Land) and in the Tyrol. Style The origin of the term is dispu ...

) depicting

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stories or local legendary figures.

Etymology

Specifically translated a Gasthaus means "guest house" in German. Gasthof is a variation of the word, Landhaus means "country house" (though is essentially the same concept, just in a rural setting) and Pension means "boarding house" or small hotel. Lunch and dinner (''Mittagessen und Abendessen'') are usually served to the public, but breakfast (''Frühstück'') is typically reserved for overnight guests. It also will often have an outdoor area for a

beer garden A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

(''Biergarten'') during the spring and summer seasons. Hotel types

References

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