History

The story of the Villa Thal

1874 - Meinrad Milz purchases the estate of the Thaler Hof
The self-employed cheese maker Meinrad Milz, born 1850 in Engenberg/Heimenkirch in Allgäu, relocated his cheese production from Altusried to Bad Grönenbach/Thal, which at the same time marked the rise of his enterprise.

He introduced into Allgäu a special breed of dairy cows from Switzerland and Vorarlberg/Austria. They were known for their high-quality milk, which is a fundamental prerequisite of successful dairy farming. This made it possible for him to produce cheese with guaranteed fat content of highest quality, the so-called Milz-Cheese. Meinrad then opened up numerous cheese factories, which made him to one of the three main cheese-makers in the Allgäu region. Cheese from the Allgäu became famous beyond its borders. Not only was it transported to Berlin and Sachsen but even as far as North- and South-America, including Brazil.
1900 - “Villa Thal” a stately home and headquarters of the cheese-making empire Milz
Meinrad´s deep admiration for Venetian architecture led him to employ master-builders from Venice who built this grand villa in Venetian style amidst the fields of Allgäu. He had the villa built for his son Philip, who was in the vanguard of dairy farming and agriculture in Allgäu at the beginning of the 20^th century. Meinrad Milz died in an accident at the age of 53. His son Philip continued the family business of agriculture and cheese-making throughout the difficult times of World War I and II. At the end of World War II Philip´s firstborn son, Meinrad Milz, became his successor and managed the company successfully through all its ups and downs until 1968.

1968 - Sale of the cheese-factory
As Meinrad Milz had no biological heirs he decided to sell his business to the cheese-factory Champignon. Because there was not enough space for expanding in Thal the new owner relocated the cheese production from Thal to Heising/Kempten in Allgäu.
1998 - Medicine, curative treatment and place of personal encounter
For almost 30 years the enchanted villa was only filled with life and laughter throughout the summer months. Being the “Sleeping Beauty” nature could take over and therefore today the surrounding park and garden can boast with wonderful big trees.

1998 Dr Meinrad Milz and his spouse Dr Katrin Bieber became new owners of the villa and transformed what was once an agricultural and cheese-making enterprise into a place of medicine, curative treatment and personal healing and encounter. Together with their two children they have been fortunate to spend many years in this magical surrounding. Over the last few years the villa has been renovated and equipped with modern energy systems. The villa once again shines in its Venetian splendour and the lovingly tended park and garden just accentuates the villa’s former glory.