Hotel Gasthof Goldener Ochsen · About us

The people behind the Goldener Ochsen

Ailstraße 1, 73037 Göppingen-Hohenstaufen – Telephone: 07165 8062 – Owner: Hermann Mayer

Tradition since 1785 · Online since 1996

A house with a history, a family with many tasks – and usually at least one more project than is on the to-do list.

The Goldener Ochsen in Göppingen-Hohenstaufen is not a hotel chain with anonymous management. In our family business, many tasks come together: welcoming guests, looking after rooms, arranging repairs and being personally available by telephone.

We introduce ourselves with light-hearted comic illustrations: Hermann, Sonja and Katharina, along with our animal companions. Our fictional technology character SSLXY also has a place here. A separate section recalls earlier generations through illustrations based on old family photographs.

Meet our family SSLXY & website Earlier generations

Personally run · Room enquiries by phone · No anonymous booking centre

Humorous family comic: Hermann, Sonja and Katharina with German shepherd Caprice, Rottweiler Ibo and cat Wuschel at an illustrated Goldener Ochsen hotel reception.
Our family with its animal companions – portrayed in a humorous comic illustration.

One picture, many little stories

A little humour is welcome here

Family, animals, keys and the telephone – all are part of the stories surrounding the Goldener Ochsen.

A day in a family business rarely follows a set script: sometimes the telephone rings, sometimes a job in the house needs doing, and in between there are our guests' wishes to attend to.

We tell stories about our work, the people behind the house and some of the animals in our family.

Family, not a corporation

Short lines of communication, personal conversations and people who know the business – without an anonymous booking department.

Craftsmanship & history

Hospitality and butchery are part of the history of our house. Today, the hotel is our main focus.

Technology with a sense of proportion

Our house has been present on the internet since 1996. SSLXY looks after the website. Our own room-booking solution is in preparation but is not yet available to guests.

A personal introduction

The family behind the house

A family business is not small simply because there is little to do. Rather, it means meeting the same people in different roles – sometimes with keys, sometimes with the telephone and sometimes with a screwdriver.

Comic portrait of host Hermann Mayer at a drawn hotel reception.
Hermann Mayer as a comic character.

Host · Owner · Master butcher

Hermann Mayer

When you call the Goldener Ochsen, you do not reach a large reservations centre. The house is a family business, and Hermann Mayer knows not only its history but also the work that needs doing every day.

As a hotelier and master butcher, Hermann Mayer combines hospitality with a long tradition of craftsmanship. Today, his main focus is the hotel, its guests and the day-to-day decisions in the house.

One moment it is a room enquiry, the next the history of the house or a practical job. Sometimes everything at once. After all, the day does not acquire extra hours just because more items are on the agenda.

Our motto: A hotel room should be occupied. With our guests' personal data, we prefer to be more reserved.

  • Host
  • Hotel & craftsmanship
  • Tradition
  • Many years of computer experience
Comic portrait of Sonja in a warm, historical hotel setting.
Sonja – our house cook.

House cook · Qualified sales manager (butchery)

Sonja

Sonja is our house cook. She also holds a qualification as a qualified sales manager in the food trade, specialising in butchery. She brings her experience from both fields to our family business.

Alongside cooking, her daily work involves organisation and practical help. Much happens behind the scenes – from preparing things to the many small jobs that keep the business running.

Experience matters in a family business: anyone who knows the kitchen, the trade and the house often sees what is needed before anyone has to ask.

In everyday family life: Guests see some things immediately. Most of the work behind them remains unseen.

  • house cook
  • Qualified sales manager
  • Family
  • Thinking ahead & helping out
Comic portrait of Katharina with horses, dogs and a cat, reflecting her love of animals.
Katharina as a comic character with horses and family pets – deliberately portrayed with humour.

Next generation · Cook

Katharina

The next generation has already chosen its own path: Katharina works as a cook at a hotel in the region. On her days off, she occasionally helps us at the Goldener Ochsen.

Her fondness for animals, especially horses, is easy to spot in her comic portrait. Between plans involving horses, technology and animal companions, the family picture becomes a little story of its own.

Her enthusiasm for horses and other animals is also part of her life outside work. When she visits the hotel, however, helping the family comes first.

With a wink: You can love cooking – and still dream of having a horse.

  • Cook
  • Helps on her days off
  • Horses & animals

Earlier generations · Memories in pictures

Our predecessors – people and stories from the Goldener Ochsen

The Goldener Ochsen is not just about the people working here today. The history of the house dates back to 1785. In 1907, the Mayer family took over the inn then known as the Ochsen. Old family photographs show ancestors, life in the former restaurant and a working world that has changed considerably since then.

These historic photographs have inspired new comic illustrations. They reflect the original scenes but are not historical photographs themselves.

The Roman numerals distinguish generations with the same first name: Hermann Mayer I and II ran the family business in earlier years, Hermann Mayer III is the current owner, and Hermann Mayer IV appears as a baby in one of the family pictures.

Comic portrait from a historical photograph: Hermann Mayer I, bald, with moustache and suit.
Hermann Mayer I – comic illustration based on a historical portrait.

Earlier generation · Family and restaurant history

Hermann Mayer I

Hermann Mayer I appears in old photographs of the restaurant: behind the counter, serving drinks and in a portrait. His bald head and distinctive moustache make him easy to recognise in the historic pictures.

The pictures recall a time when the restaurant was an important centre of the house. Furniture, crockery, glasses and the interior give an impression of everyday life in the business.

The illustrations bring the historic scenes to life in colour. Details of the rooms are artistically interpreted and should not be understood as exact reconstructions.

Family history is more than a date: sometimes a look behind the old counter tells us a great deal.

Comic portrait from a historical photograph: Hermann Mayer II with combed-back hair, suit and tie, clean-shaven.
Hermann Mayer II – illustration based on a family portrait.

Earlier generation · Family archive

Hermann Mayer II

A portrait of Hermann Mayer II has also survived in the family archive. The formal photograph in a suit contrasts with the lively restaurant scenes and shows another generation of the Mayer family.

The portrait and another family photograph reveal different sides of his life: the working world and personal moments.

A personal moment

Hermann Mayer II and baby Hermann Mayer IV

In this family picture, Hermann Mayer II is holding little Hermann Mayer IV. The comic adaptation of the original photograph shows a personal moment away from everyday restaurant life.

Comic illustration based on a family photograph: clean-shaven Hermann Mayer II holds sleeping infant Hermann Mayer IV in a blanket.
Hermann Mayer II holding baby Hermann Mayer IV – comic illustration based on the original photograph.

The restaurant in earlier decades

A look at the old serving counter

Three photographs from the family archive show historic scenes at the counter, including Hermann Mayer I serving drinks. The furnishings and objects in the background give an impression of everyday restaurant life at the time.

Historically inspired comic illustration of Hermann Mayer I behind the inn counter, with cupboards, glasses and dishes.
Behind the counter

Hermann Mayer I behind the counter – based on a historical photograph.

Comic illustration based on an old inn photograph: Hermann Mayer I with a glass of beer beside a tall drinks dispenser at the counter.
Serving drinks

A moment at the counter, reimagined as a comic illustration.

Comic illustration based on an old inn photograph: a man in an apron behind the counter and another man wearing a hat and coat in front.
Two men in the restaurant

Historic counter scene with two people; the other names are not known.

Artistic comic adaptation of a historical photograph: two oxen pull a wagon heavily loaded with hay along a country road.
An ox-drawn hay wagon – artistic adaptation of a photograph from the family archive.

Work beyond the house

The hay wagon – a reminder of work in earlier times

The preserved pictures also include a large hay wagon pulled by two oxen. The photograph is a reminder of the physical labour and means of transport of earlier decades.

The tall load of hay and the draft animals show just how different transport was in those days.

Note about the pictures: All pictures in this section are newly created comic illustrations based on historical family photographs. Colours, lighting and some environmental details have been added artistically; these pictures are not unchanged historical documents.

Find out more about our family and the house in the history of the Goldener Ochsen.

When the kitchen comes to life

Sonja and Katharina – two generations in the kitchen

Sonja and Katharina have more in common in the kitchen than their chef's jackets and aprons.

Cooking connects Sonja and Katharina: two generations who know their craft and enjoy working together in the kitchen.

From preparing ingredients to the final seasoning, both contribute their experience and ideas.

Comic illustration of Sonja and Katharina cooking together in chefs’ clothes in a warm family kitchen.
Sonja and Katharina – two generations cooking together.

Restaurant notice: Our restaurant is currently open only occasionally and has no fixed opening hours. You can check whether it is open today in our daily restaurant status. Please check before visiting or enquire by telephone.

Between bread boxes and browsers

SSLXY – the technology workshop

SSLXY is responsible for the technical maintenance of our website. Anyone who has worked with computers for long enough knows the feeling: technology becomes more advanced, yet somehow there is still a cable missing.

The old computer in the picture is a playful nod to computing in earlier decades. Since our website first went online, screens have become flatter, connections faster and security requirements more demanding.

We prefer to develop new functions with as much independence as possible. This includes our own solution for room availability enquiries and booking requests. It is still under development: Online room booking is not available to the public.

Despite our enthusiasm for technology, we do not want to put a quick launch ahead of data protection. Where sensible and technically feasible, we aim to avoid unnecessary involvement of external booking platforms. We will explain the actual processing of personal data before activating any such service.

Until then, we are sticking with tradition: anyone wishing to enquire about or reserve a room can pick up the phone. It even works when the comic computer is taking a little longer to think.

Humorous comic illustration of SSLXY, the fictional technology figure, wearing black glasses with an old computer, telephone and tools.
SSLXY among retro computers, tools and website technology.

Our online forms are also taking a data-protection break. Our contact and enquiry forms are temporarily disabled. Before making them available again, we are reviewing their technical implementation and the protection of the personal data submitted.

We continue to accept room enquiries and reservations exclusively by telephone at 07165 8062 .

Also part of our story

Caprice, Ibo, Wuschel and Pino – our animal companions

Our family history includes not only the inn, the butchery trade and computers, but also animals that have been with us over the years.

Caprice
Our former German shepherd, whom we remember fondly.
Ibo
Our Rottweiler – attentive, strong and a valued member of the family.
Wuschel
Our cat, who likes to be in the middle of things in our private home.
Pino
Our young Rottweiler, who is discovering everyday life with Ibo as his four-legged mentor.

Our animals are part of the family. Our pets stay in the private part of the house. They have no access to kitchens or other areas where food is prepared, handled or stored. Pets are not allowed in our hotel rooms either.

Original comic illustration of German shepherd Caprice, Rottweiler Ibo and cat Wuschel in a cosy setting.
Caprice, Ibo and Wuschel – stories of our family pets.
Humorous comic illustration: the experienced Rottweiler Ibo explains basic lessons to puppy Pino in front of a blackboard.
Ibo as the teacher and Pino as his curious trainee – a little classroom lesson without chairs, but with plenty of patience.

Looking back and ahead

Preserving tradition does not mean standing still

  1. 1785The history of the Ochsen can be traced back to 1785. Hospitality and craftsmanship have shaped that tradition.
  2. 1996The Goldener Ochsen is already online. What began as a simple website grows into a long-term independent project.
  3. TodayThe hotel is open. Personal arrangements and telephone room reservations are our priority.
  4. Tomorrow?Our own room-booking solution is in preparation. It will only be usable online once it has actually been released.

We do not always need to be the fastest to move forward. We would rather take time to consider technology and privacy than launch a feature that looks impressive but has not yet been thoroughly checked.