"The Pöschtli was a home for many" Traditional pub closes for good after more than 130 years
The Pöschtli in Agasul was much more than just a pub - it was a place full of stories and feelings of home. Its closure marks the end of a chapter that has shaped the village since 1885.
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- The traditional Gasthaus Pöschtli in Agasul is closing after more than 130 years, following the sudden death of landlady Heidi Berger in October 2023.
- The Berger family says goodbye to the restaurant with a farewell party and invites its customers for the last time.
- Landlady Heidi Berger ran the Pöschtli with passion. After her death, the family continued to run the inn.
The striking Pöschtli building stands in the middle of the rural idyll of Agasul, a suburb of Illnau-Effretikon. An era is coming to an end - and with it a chapter of village history that dates back to 1885, as the "Landbote" newspaper writes.
A cowbell with the engraving: "Agasul village festival - dedication of the coat of arms 1987" hangs above the tiled stove in the pub. A symbol that embodies a sense of home. "The bell will stay in the village," assures Jasmin Berger, daughter of the recently deceased landlady Heidi Berger. "That's what my mother would have wanted."
A pub from another time
The Pöschtli is like a relic from days gone by. Dark paneling, yellowed photos, a buffet from the 1960s - and menu prices that seem almost nostalgic in their modesty: 18.50 francs for a half pint of Fendant, 16.40 francs for a chop with salad. Time seems to stand still here, but since the sudden death of Heidi Berger in October 2023 at the latest, you can sense that change is imminent.
Heidi Berger was only 69 years old. A heart attack, as sudden as it was tragic, tore her from life - a parallel to her own mother. Her daughter Jasmin tells us over coffee at the red Resopal table: "Mom wanted to stop at 70 and sell the house. Now we're selling it without her."
The four Berger siblings decided to break the news to the regulars in person. They opened the pub one last time on the Monday after the death. "It was extremely emotional - for us and the guests," recalls Jasmin.
A place full of memories
The Pöschtli was much more than just a pub. It was a home, an extended living room for regular guests, a meeting place for hikers and coach travelers - and the setting for countless stories. Berger remembers: "As children, we swapped the singles in the jukebox. Our grandma wasn't at all happy."
The house itself has a long history. It burned to the ground in 1944 and was rebuilt in the same style by Berger's great-grandfather Albert Baltensperger. The original name Wiesenthal gave way to Wirtschaft zur Post when a post office was opened in the next room in 1902. The Baltensperger-Berger family shaped village life for generations.
The landlady's legacy
Heidi Berger put her heart and soul into running the Pöschtli, but she never put pressure on her children to follow in her footsteps. "Mom didn't want us to do that to ourselves," says Jasmin. The connection to the regulars was also unique: "The Pöschtli was a home for many. Even the jass players, although no one could really play jass here."
It hurts that the pub is now closing, but the Berger siblings are taking it in their stride. "Now we're emptying the cellar in memory of mom," says Jasmin. On Friday at 7 pm, the family is hosting a farewell party - a "Ustrinkete" that celebrates the end of an era with dignity.
Heidi Berger's legacy will remain: a place that shaped Agasul and offered its residents a home. The flyer for the farewell party sums it up aptly: "Join us in toasting a beautiful piece of Agasul history and ringing out this era with us."
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.
