Dirt Almost Everywhere

Unbelievable Conditions: Disgusting Conditions at a Tyrolean Alpine Pasture

The Wangalm is nestled amid beautiful mountains, yet the kitchen is completely filthy.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Privat, Tourismusverband Seefeld/Andreas Lienert)

At the Wangalm in the Tyrolean Wetterstein Mountains (Innsbruck-Land district), hygiene in the kitchen doesn’t always seem to have been up to par. The “Krone” was leaked some truly horrifying photos. The tenant and the municipality of Telfs, which owns the alpine pasture, are trying to calm the situation.

The Wangalm (1,751 meters above sea level) in Leutasch has had a turbulent summer. At the last minute this spring, Nenad Despotovic from the municipality of Telfs took over the lease. Despotovic, known to many as “Ronaldo,” also runs the Wildmoosalm.

Food inspectors found nothing
Investments were made in the infrastructure together with the municipality of Telfs. According to “Ronaldo,” he alone contributed 50,000 euros toward improvements. The food safety inspectors conducted an inspection immediately after the renovations—even before the restaurant opened for business—and found no issues.

Ongoing Criticism of Poor Hygiene
Rumors of appalling hygienic conditions in the restaurant’s kitchen circulated repeatedly during the summer months. Now the “Krone” has obtained photos that indeed show catastrophic hygienic conditions there.

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Fotos

Dirt “garnished” with a bottle of whiskey
A completely filthy sink, a totally filthy stove with pans that are no less dirty, dirty plates, bowls, and glasses on the counter—all “garnished” with a bottle of whiskey! The photos also show a filthy floor and similar horrors that definitely don’t belong in a mountain hut kitchen.

We confronted the tenant with the photos. “The pictures were probably taken when the water line wasn’t working. Things can look like that when it’s really busy,” explains Nenad Despotovic. He apologized for it.

It can look like this when things get busy.

Nenad Despotovic, Almpächter

“The kitchen has always been perceived as clean”
On behalf of the municipality of Telfs, Norbert Tanzer, the municipal council member responsible for the alpine pasture, claims to have always perceived the kitchen as being clean. Guests and eyewitnesses, however, report exactly the opposite.

“Snow” in the middle of summer?
The alpine hut closed for the season on Sunday. “We’re cleaning today,” “Ronaldo” told the “Krone” on Monday. The staff will no longer be up there in the future. Incidentally, the tenant also refutes rumors that people regularly “snorted coke” at the Wangalm.