The History of the Inn

In 1989 the Schnetzer family immigrated to Nova Scotia from Austria, choosing this area because it reminded them of their home land.  They completed the construction of this 8,962 square foot,  post and beam Alpine style house in 1992.  The style is unique to Canada, but very typical in the foothills of Austria, Germany and Switzerland.  This building opened in 1993 as the Austria Inn and was a popular destination for the locals and tourists alike.  The property was sold in 2007, the business closed and most of the building sat quiet until being purchased by Barbara in the spring of 2021.  After over 2 years of renovations and repairs, new life was breathed into the building and now, once again, welcoming guests from Nova Scotia and around the world.

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About the Edelweiss Flower

The Edelweiss is a flower  which grows naturally high in the Alpine mountain range.  It is from the family of daisies and sunflowers with the botanical name Leontopodium Alpinum.  Since the Alps stretch across eight countries, almost every one of them has their own name for the flower; Romanians call it Cliffhanger’s Flower, while the French and Italians call it Alpine Star.  In German, Austrian and Swiss call the flower Edelweiss.  It was said that when a gentleman wanted to impress a lady, he would climb up the mountain to bring back a flower as a special romantic offering.  This proved his courage, purity and love.  This symbolic gesture of bravery caused people to name the flower "Edelweiss" which, in the German language, translates to "noble white."    

This establishment was named the Edelweiss Inn Nova Scotia, because the local landscape reminded us of the Sound of  Music. The song Edelweiss was  written in  Richard Rodgers and  Oscar Hammerstein in 1959 for the Broadway production, and has gained global recognition.  The musical and the legend invokes a nostalgic romantic feel and the flower itself the European style of the inn.

Welcome to the Edelweiss Inn Nova Scotia!

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Meet your hostess, Barbara Grumme

My name is Barbara Grumme. I am formerly a realtor and now the proud owner of Edelweiss Inn Nova Scotia in Mount Hanley, Nova Scotia, Canada. 

 

With the help of a wonderful support team ( many who live on site), I am able to enjoy multiple careers and do all the things I love to do, while still offering top-notch quality service to my clients AND my guests.  Edelweiss Inn is our home and we welcome you!

 

We all enjoy entertaining and feel happy when guests have a full belly and a smile on their face.  We are  happy to share the ambiance of this European style country retreat and are thrilled to meet so many interesting people from around the world.  Our goal is to provide you with a clean comfortable room, tasty home cooked meal and friendly conversation. Be our guest. We look forward to serving you soon.

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Meet your chef, Joerg Meister

Head chef and Restaurant Operator of Edelweiss Restaurant in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Joerg grew up in the restaurant and pastry industry. His grandfather was a baker master and his father was a baker/pastry master. As a family they ran a pastry shop, bowling alley and large restaurant, known as Café Grah in Remscheid, Germany. As early as he can remember, Joerg was helping in the restaurant kitchen or bake production room while his friends played outside. After graduating high school , he studied for 3 more years to become a certified professional apprentice waiter and 3 more years to be certified as a service staff instructor. At some point in time, Joerg’s parents, Luther and Brigitte immigrated to Canada and opened a pastry shop in the village of Crystal Beach in Niagara, Ontario.  Joerg came to Canada a few times to help his parents out and moved from Remscheid, Germany to work in the family pastry shop in Crystal Beach Canada in 2010.  In 2020 he had the chance to visit Nova Scotia and fell in love with the countryside and Bay of Fundy. He was offered an opportunity to relocate and moved to Mount Hanley Nova Scotia in February 2021. After extensive renovations the restaurant opened its doors to the public on Valentine's Day weekend in 2022.

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