The Language of Wine: How Symbols Define the LOISIUM Experience
At LOISIUM, wine culture goes far beyond the glass. Swiss artist Hugo Schaer has shaped the identity of each hotel with his signature symbols — a poetic visual language that weaves through cellars, walls, and sculptures. His work transforms every visit into a journey of discovery, where art and wine meet in perfect harmony.
A brief overview
At LOISIUM Wine & Spa Hotels, wine isn’t just served — it’s celebrated through art, architecture, and storytelling. Since 2003, Swiss artist Hugo Schaer has shaped the visual identity of LOISIUM with his distinctive hieroglyph-like symbols. Found across locations in Austria and France, these signs guide guests through wine cellars, tasting rooms, and shared spaces — blending culture, creativity, and curiosity into every visit.
The most important facts summarized
- Schaer’s symbolic language brings wine history and culture to life in a visual way.
- The first LOISIUM experience, now known as the WeinWelt, opened in 2003 in Langenlois.
- His works can be found across LOISIUM Hotels in Langenlois, South Styria, and Champagne.
- Highlights include etched murals, interactive sculptures, and engraved bronze columns.
- LOISIUM blends design, architecture, and storytelling — making every stay a sensory and intellectual journey.
The Signature Symbols of LOISIUM: Where Wine Meets Art
When you step into a LOISIUM Wine & Spa Hotel, you’re not just entering a destination — you’re entering a world where wine, design, and art come together. One of the most distinctive features across all LOISIUM locations is the presence of delicate, hieroglyph-like symbols that adorn walls, columns, and installations. These aren’t just decorative motifs — they’re the artistic language of Swiss artist Hugo Schaer, who has been part of the LOISIUM journey from the very beginning.
The Birth of LOISIUM — and Its Name
Back in 2000, Schaer was invited by a creative agency to help develop a wine tourism destination in Langenlois, Austria. What started as a concept soon became a passion. The name “LOISIUM” itself is a fusion of “Langenlois” and “Elysium” — a nod to the paradise-like feeling the artist experienced while working there. By 2003, the first LOISIUM site opened — a unique blend of museum, historical wine cellars, and state-of-the-art wine production, known today as the Weinwelt. Schaer didn’t just help conceptualize the experience — he physically shaped it through his art.
A Visual Language with Meaning
Schaer’s symbolic alphabet is more than a design element — it’s a storytelling medium. At the entrance to the Weinwelt, he etched the story of the Grüner Veltliner grape in a stylized sgraffito. Deep inside the wine cellar labyrinth, visitors encounter seven interactive metal sculptures, each revealing a different secret of wine culture. This visual narrative continues across other LOISIUM hotels — from an 18-square-meter mural in South Styria that tells local wine stories to a bronze column in Champagne engraved with 18 symbolic tales, forming the hotel’s “golden heart.”
Art with a Purpose
Guests today expect more than just a glass of wine — they seek connection, understanding, and emotion. Schaer’s artwork enhances that journey, guiding guests through an immersive experience of wine as culture, not just a commodity.
“I’m not a wine expert,” he admits, “but I’m a wine lover. Wine is not just a drink — it’s history, emotion, and life.”
Fazit
With LOISIUM hotels now stretching beyond Austria to France — and with dreams of future expansions, the cradle of wine — Schaer’s signature signs continue to evolve. Like the wines they accompany, his work matures with time, yet always retains its core: to tell meaningful stories, one symbol at a time.
