The three-Michelin star restaurant Schwarzwaldstube, one of Germany’s most important culinary institutions burned to the ground this weekend.
Holding three Michelin stars for longer than any other restaurant in Germany the Schwarzwaldstube restaurant located, near the town of Baiersbronn in Germany’s Black Forest was gutted by a fire that started on Saturday night.
Nobody was seriously injured in the blaze, which tore through the hotel in which the restaurant is located, although one guest was reportedly treated for smoke inhalation.
The restaurant, known as one of the best in Germany, is described in the Michelin Guide as a "real institution" that remains true to the classic French tradition of cooking while offering "its own modern twist to every dish."
"Of course, it hurts a lot," said Heiner Finkbeiner, whose family owns the restaurant, but he expressed relief that nobody was hurt. "Everything else can be rebuilt," he said.
Head chef Torsten Michel said the losses were "tragic" but echoed the sentiment. "In the end, it is only a building," he said.
"It feels as though my living room has burned down," former head chef Harald Wohlfahrt told Süddeutsche Zeitung.