Arche Herzensbrücken

Sometimes, deep down, you have a feeling that you have always had, and sometimes an external event shakes it even more, until the call becomes so loud that you can no longer ignore it. This happened to Horst Szeli when he laid the foundation for Arche Herzensbrücken in 2012. His start in life was a hard battle due to complications at his birth, a struggle he was largely unaware of but which most likely already set his life's mission in his heart: "To make the lives of families with severely ill children a little easier." In 2012, a specific incident in his close circle of friends added to this.

"Friends of ours, who had long cared for their severely ill child, received a 10-day holiday in a family hotel as a gift from donations," Szeli recalls. "After three days, they returned in despair." All the caregivers at the hotel were unable to care for their child, the care remained, as at home, with the parents, and that in an environment not equipped for care. A break or even relaxation was out of the question. This struck a chord with Szeli; he went to his wife Doris, who ran the Hotel Solstein in Seefeld, and asked her directly: "Can you imagine that we could do this differently in our house?" She reacted immediately positively: "I've received a lot of good from life; here I can give something back. If you take care of everything else, I will contribute the hotel to it."

‘Everything else’ primarily meant a departure into the unknown. Szeli founded the Arche Herzensbrücken Support Association and encountered Ines Paratscher. The deeply personally motivated trained palliative nurse from the Unterland was fighting for the establishment of a mobile palliative service in the Kitzbühel/St. Johann area. She quickly joined the team in Seefeld as well. However, the legal framework conditions were uncharted territory for everyone and remain partly so to this day: "No lawyer could give us immediate information, as we are still the only hotel of its kind." Szeli wants to remain deliberately so and does not want to become a hospice or a professional care facility.

On one hand, the regulations are enormous and often questionable – for example, one could fail on the smallest furnishing details in the rooms – on the other hand, it is precisely the hotel character that gives families so much. "Especially the siblings thrive and look forward to telling in school that they all went on vacation together in Seefeld and not just to a spa or rehab for their sick sister or brother," says Szeli.

It may seem like a trivial matter, but the small yet significant difference that at Arche Herzensbrücken it is not just about the sick child with the family being an appendage, but rather that here the family is at the center and they – to put it bluntly – happen to have a sick child with them, makes an infinite difference. Especially for families whose children suffer from so-called Rare Diseases and are often palliatively supported for many years, this normality during their stay in Seefeld is a heartfelt wish.

2015 finally saw the first families come to the hotel – Arche Herzensbrücken consisted of five people back then: Doris managed the hotel operations, Ines took care of the nursing, an art therapist and a volunteer attended to their needs, and Horst held everything together. Today, the care team consists of around 100 people: In addition to the core group, which remains the same to this day, 28 professional caregivers are specifically assigned to the sick children, along with 70 volunteers and a team of therapists for the families. "Almost all take vacation or donate their free time to work with us for a few days a year," Szeli proudly shares. Only four caregivers are employed part-time year-round, as they also handle preliminary and follow-up care, make countless phone calls, and assist in selecting families.

Until 2025, Arche Herzensbrücken even addressed this important issue. Because parallel to the four families with sick children per holiday week, there were also the traditional house guests. "The inclusion and contact were enriching for everyone." Over the years, one point increasingly came to the forefront: "How do we handle families whose children could pass away during their stay with us? Can the dying and death of affected children be reconciled under one roof with an untroubled wellness vacation of unaffected families?"

Palliative nurse Paratscher can draw on a wealth of experience here. Together as a team, they ultimately reached the conclusion: "Here, inclusion ends, no matter how tolerant one is." At the same time, the team of Arche Herzensbrücken had known many families with palliative rated children for years, having cared for them over multiple stays. Why should a final stay not be possible? "When my wife retired from the hotel business this year, it was clear to us that now was the time," says Szeli. "We will be an exclusive place for 4-5 affected families per week, and death can be a part of it." Doris will continue to help voluntarily, the association will take over the hotel, and will expand the offering.

In 2026, Easter and Pentecost breaks will be added as relief weeks for affected families. In 2027, young adults will also be able to come – necessary renovations are still needed for this. "In addition, we want to offer grief and couple weeks for bereaved parents whose children have already passed away," says the qualified life and social counselor, who is particularly passionate about a family-oriented, systemic approach. "Because especially when 24-hour care suddenly disappears, it takes someone to support and accompany you."

A week in Seefeld for a family costs € 5,000.00. Money that the affected families do not have themselves. It comes from the association; only a minimal income-related share is paid by themselves. The association is financed through donations. It is Szelis's task to secure these donations, hiring staff or even a deputy managing director would be too expensive and would consume too much of the precious donations. "But yes, I will not be able to do this forever," says the tireless one, who wishes that Arche Herzensbrücken continues and develops after him. "So I should probably start looking for someone and train them. But right now, I'd rather spend the money on another care worker."

Last year, Arche Herzensbrücken made headlines when they received a half a million from Marlene Engelhorn's Good Advice*****. "A blessing, because the money enables renovations, like a second care room; because it brought a lot of media attention; and because it is a certain quality seal for us," Szeli admits openly. "But also a disadvantage, because now it’s often said, 'well, now you have enough money.'" A quick calculation shows that the approximately 60 families being cared for cost the association € 300,000.00 per year, without renovations or extra expenses. So half a million can be spent incredibly quickly.

Szeli's dream for the future would therefore be a social investor who simply doesn’t care about the amounts of money. But the reality looks different: Arche Herzensbrücken is grateful for any help, any support, every euro, every offer. "We have already received so much help at the plateau – our family receives free ice cream, admission tickets, loan equipment, and many other things for free in the village – that’s fantastic." School actions and donations from children touched his heart the most. "Or the help of the Motorcycle Group Tirol Choppers, who organize an event for us every year and take the siblings for a ride during the check handover."

Szeli knows many heartwarming stories to tell, whether about the families, the children, fundraising activities, or dreams he has. Like the nightly care of the children, "so that mom and dad can perhaps just have dinner until 11 PM or simply get a chance to sleep uninterrupted for once." A longing for a little normality in a life full of exceptional situations.