150 years of Maßem –
a family story
What began in 1870 as an inn in Schillingen has grown, across five generations, into one of the best-known establishments in the Hochwald. The history of the Maßem family is inseparable from the history of the village – and it reaches back further than you might think.
Gasthaus Maßem around 1900
Where do the
Maßems come from?
How it all began, we cannot say with complete certainty. Since many family names derive from rivers or trades, we Maßems most likely take our name from the Maas – the river that rises in France, flows through Belgium and the Netherlands and empties into the North Sea.
Most of our ancestors were Huguenots – Protestant merchants and highly skilled craftsmen from Champagne and Lorraine, settled along the Maas. In the religious wars of the 16th century they were persecuted; on the night of 23 August 1572 alone – St. Bartholomew's Night – 3,000 Huguenots were murdered in Paris. In total, 20,000 people fell victim to this religious war.
Between 1598 and 1685, around 500,000 Huguenot refugees were resettled – to Potsdam, to the Netherlands and into the Hochwald. That is how we came to Schillingen.
The Heart of
the Hochwald
And so we came to Schillingen, right in the heart of the Hochwald. The villages of Heddert, Schillingen, Mandern, Waldweiler and Kell are still surrounded by forest on all sides today – and when viewed from above, they form the shape of a heart. The heart of the Hochwald.
The place name Schillingen derives from "Scheelingen" – an old dialect word for "stallion". The village's origins lie in horse breeding.
Gasthaus Maßem began over 240 years ago as a farming operation. An inn was added some 100 years later – and our own butcher's shop followed around 70 years ago. A story rooted in the land.
The Chronicle
The great-great-great-great-grandfather of Jonathan and Samuel Maßem is born – a farmer, rooted in the Hochwald.
Josef Maßem, born 4 February 1843, is a farmer like his father Peter. In 1870 he opens a guest house with his wife Anna Amalie Koch – the seed of today's Gasthaus.
Nikolaus Maßem is born on 8 September 1894. As the next innkeeper, he needs the right partner – and finds her in Susanna Treinen from Kell, a trained cook at the Felsenkeller in Bad Kreuznach. They marry on 14 June 1919. Five sons follow.
The eldest son Erich falls in the Second World War. Two further sons die young. Günter Maßem must take over the inn – and learns the butcher's trade from the ground up to do so.
Günter Maßem has earned his master craftsman's certificate and opens a butcher's shop within the Gasthaus – because inn and butcher's together stand for quality.
On 7 November 1962, Günter marries the baker's daughter Gertrud Kimmlinger. The family still calls it a golden catch to this day.
In 1964 daughter Edith is born – the first daughter in the Maßem household in Schillingen for a century. The birth is celebrated accordingly. In 1965 the guesthouse is built from an old barn, with running hot and cold water. In 1966 son Christof follows.
Günter Maßem dies suddenly. Gertrud later marries choir director and conductor Peter Reis and continues running the business with him and their two children, as strong as ever.
In 1998 Samuel Maßem is born, followed in 2002 by his brother Jonathan. The story continues.
Gertrud Maßem-Reis, the soul of the house, runs the restaurant, guesthouse and butcher's shop together with her son Christof and a dedicated team – honouring old tradition while embracing new ideas.
Long-serving Staff
A house is only as good as the people who carry it. These members of staff deserve particular thanks.
Since 15 August 1959
Began as the second apprentice under Master Butcher Günter Maßem, later worked as cook – a ever-present pillar of the house for decades.
Since 1 April 1963
Apprentice butcher who had known the family and the house since childhood – a trusted friend in the best sense of the word. He will always be remembered for his friendly manner.
Since 1 August 1967
Fourth apprentice in the butcher's shop, later working in sales and service – a long-standing, trusted member of the team.
Since 2 April 1968
Cook from Heddert who had grown inseparable from the house. She watched over the business as over a second home – forever in our memory with her warm and friendly manner.
Butcher's apprenticeship
He began his butcher's apprenticeship in our business and will always be remembered for his friendly manner.
„Tradition is a guide
and not a jailer."
– William Somerset Maugham
We are the sum of everything that happened before us,
everything done before our eyes,
everything that was done to us.
We are everything that happens after we are no longer here –
and what would not happen if we had not come.
In this spirit: let us be kind and good to one another.