In December 2019, life was still going well for Marit Quik and her family. In just ten months, they had moved from the Netherlands to the Upper Harz to make their dream a reality with the Waldhaus Wolfsbachmühle hotel in Hohegeiß. They wanted to live and work in the middle of the forest and spoil their guests. The cosy restaurant serving German-Dutch cuisine, comfortable rooms and Dutch hospitality delighted many mountain bikers, hikers, Harz residents and holidaymakers in the first few weeks. The positive response prompted them to consider expanding their offering and taking on more staff. Then came the first coronavirus lockdown in spring 2020. For Marit Quik, who had already worked in hospitality in Switzerland and Germany, it was a difficult situation. “Nobody could predict what would happen next,” says Quik.
A second source of income as a safety net
In this situation, the Quik family is grateful that they did not rely solely on their new business from the outset. Her husband continues to work on projects through his Dutch employer, providing the family with financial security. A second source of income can generally be a decisive factor in securing a startup during its initial phase.
A remote location brings special challenges
But the coronavirus situation was not the only thing that slowed the Quik family’s promising start. At the same time, the already ageing water treatment system broke down. Without a secure drinking water supply, it is impossible to host guests. Marit Quik took on this additional challenge with determination and once again encountered considerable willingness to help. The energy provider Harz Energie arranged for the idyllic hotel in the middle of the forest to be connected directly to a nearby water reservoir. A future-proof system will be installed in the coming weeks to treat the raw water in accordance with the health authority’s requirements. “Our goal is to finally welcome our guests again during Advent and the Christmas season,” says Marit Quik, looking forward to a second new start. “We hope for a winter just as wonderful as last year.”
A lucky break at the Utrecht emigrant fair
The adventurous new beginning in the Harz started with a rather chance visit to the emigrant fair in Utrecht in spring 2019. At the joint stand run by WiReGo and the City of Bad Harzburg—which had already been promoting the Harz in the Netherlands as a place to live for several years—the family first learned about the Wolfsbachmühle property. With active support from Katrin Streich at WiReGo, administrative procedures and grant applications became much easier. “I’m delighted that this project was realised so quickly after our first discussions,” says Streich. “It shows how beneficial cooperation with the business development agency can be.” She wishes the Quik family a new beginning without further setbacks.
