The Discovery of the Valais Alps
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150 years of winter tourism The discovery of the Valais Alps For a long time, the inhabitants of the mountain regions lived in fear of their surroundings. As the haunt of spirits and demons, the mountains possessed an eerie quality. This view began to change only slowly with the coming of the Age of Enlightenment (from 1730). People began to look at the mountains differently, started to recognise their beauty. The Alps become a natural wonder, a miracle of nature attracting visitors and scientists from all over Europe. The emergence of the railways in neighbouring countries from 1830 onwards played a decisive role in the development of tourism in Switzerland. Although the country was not to get its own rail network for another 30 years or so, Switzerland was already benefiting from rail travel in Europe, which brought tourists to its borders, from where they could continue their journey by stagecoach or the like. The same was true of the Valais. Wealthy British citizens soon made their way here, marking the beginnings of tourism. In 1863, Englishman Thomas Cook played a pioneering role by organising the first-ever package tour to Switzerland, a trip that also took in the Valais, including the Col de la Forclaz, Leukerbad and the Gemmi Pass. The steady expansion of Switzerland’s own rail network stimulated this new travel trend, causing a range of hotels to spring up in all the tourist destinations. The Valais benefited greatly from the Simplon railway tunnel, which opened in 1906, for the railway now brought additional tourists from the south and spread the fame of the Valais and its resorts around the globe. Another major contribution to the development of tourism in the Valais had already been made a few decades earlier by mountain climbers. Between 1850 and 1870, British mountaineers especially – always accompanied by local mountain guides – shaped what was to become known as the “golden age” of mountaineering. The race to be the first to ascend the 4,000 metre peaks in the Valais got underway. The last major summit to be conquered was the Matterhorn in 1865. Today, tourism is one of the most important economic activities in the Valais. Almost every third person works in this industry and a majority of the canton’s export revenues are generated through tourism. Contents Hotels between dream and reality Page 2 The “golden age” of mountaineering Page 3 SAC huts – the conquest of the Alps Page 4 The Valais and its tourism pioneers Page 5 The tourist resorts – fertile ground for innovation Page 7 Skiing reaches the Valais Page 8 1 Hotels between dream and reality The historic hotels from the Belle Epoque era have been making history for more than 150 years. Not only do these establishments bear testimony to the amazing pioneering spirit of the times, they have also steadily kept up with the latest trends. Hotel Ofenhorn – set amidst stunning flora and fauna The Swiss Heritage Society considers it one of the finest examples of its kind: the Hotel Ofenhorn in Binn (Goms). Its rooms, corridors and dining room still resound with the spirit of the Belle Epoque, the pioneering age of hotels in Switzerland. Set in the heart of the Binntal Landscape Park, this venerable establishment can look back over a long history. Josef Schmid from Ernen, along with two kindred spirits, began building the hotel in 1881 and was able to open its doors to the public two years later. The Hotel Ofenhorn positively flourished in the initial years following the grand opening, and the first extension was added in 1897. In 1923, electric lighting was installed and during the Second World War the hotel served as army accommodation. Central heating installed in the 1960s meant the hotel could stay open in winter. After three generations, the Schmid family gave up the business in 1968. The hotel’s doors then remained closed for three years before reopening under the ownership of Pro Unter- und Mittelgoms AG. After another series of difficulties, the Pro Binntal Cooperative took over the running of the hotel in 1987. It continues to do so today with the aid of landlords. With the support of the Office for the Preservation of Historic Buildings and Monuments, the Cooperative took the bold decision in 2007 to renovate the hotel from top to bottom. The Hotel Ofenhorn in Binn has been a member of Swiss Historic Hotels since 2008. http://www.ofenhorn.ch/de/hotel/kurzportraet.php Hotel Monte Rosa – the original Seiler Hotel Zermatt’s most traditional hotel has been accommodating visitors from around the globe for over one-and- a-half centuries. But the history of the Hotel Monte Rosa reaches back even further than that – to 1838, to be precise. That was when local surgeon Josef Lauber first began offering accommodation in his own home (Hotel Mont Cervie) to the growing numbers of foreign visitors, thus laying the foundations for the village at the foot of the Matterhorn to become a world-famous tourist resort. But it was Alexander Seiler who was to play a decisive role in these developments. The trained soap and candle maker from nearby Goms came to Zermatt for the first time in 1851 and was immediately taken with the unique scenery. On returning two years later, he took over the lease for Lauber’s inn, which had already been renamed Hôtel du Mont- Rose. In the years that followed, Seiler was able to buy the hotel and set about extending it. One of the most illustrious guests was Edward Whymper, famed for making the first ascent of the Matterhorn. In recognition of its significance as the parent hotel of the Seiler hotel dynasty, the Monte-Rosa was completely renovated in the summer of 2008. And so many of the rooms in today’s Monte-Rosa have been largely restored to their original condition. http://www.monterosazermatt.ch/en/monte-rosa/monte-rosa-history/history/ 2 Hotel Bella Tola – a gem of Alpine hospitality Safely off the beaten track, the villages in Val d’Anniviers have kept their original character. The same is true of the historic Hotel Bella Tola in St-Luc. As more and more foreign visitors began finding their way to Val d’Anniviers, a certain Pierre Pont recognised the signs: after a fire in the village, he started building the Bella Tola in the new centre of St-Luc in 1859. The hotel opened its doors just one year later. The first few years proved difficult, but the business began to flourish when it moved to new premises on the outskirts of the village in 1883. After just six years, an extension was added and the building gradually renovated. Despite these improvements, the fourth generation of the founding family was no longer able to make a living from the hotel and found itself forced to sell to a developer in 1995. It was the present owners who subsequently rescued the hotel, reversing numerous ill-advised transformations of the past using historical models and fitting out the guest rooms with stylish furniture. http://www.bellatola.ch/en/ Hotel Kurhaus Arolla – a story of generations The Hotel Kurhaus in Arolla was one of the last grand hotels to be built in Val d’Hérens. Dating back to 1896, the building radiates both the cosiness and permanence of a mountain hotel. It wasn’t long before the new hotel was able to fend off the competition from the much older Hotel Mont Collon. In 1913, the smart owners even took the initiative of installing their own power plant to generate electricity – a sought-after commodity – for the building. As Arolla was mainly known for its climbing spots, the hotel managed to survive even during hard times. Thanks to the installation of central heating, the establishment was able to remain open for the winter season for the first time in 1968. The hotel has been run by the same family for four generations and became a member of Swiss Historic Hotels in 2006. http://www.hotel-kurhaus.arolla.com/index-en.php3 The “golden age” of mountaineering in the Alps The race to the summit played a pivotal role in the birth of tourism. A growing interest in the Alps and the people who lived there first brought naturalists and scholars to the Valais, the land of 45 four- thousanders. They were accompanied on their travels by local men known as glacier guides. These sporadic tours began to increase in number in the first half of the 19th century when British mountaineers especially – always aided by locals – discovered the Alps. The people of the Valais turned mountain guiding into a proper occupation, with the village of St. Niklaus playimg a pioneering role in these developments. Today, St. Niklaus can look back over a mountain-guiding tradition spanning 150 years. Its mountain guides chalked up more than 300 first ascents, both at home and abroad. Thanks to pioneers such as Josef Lochmatter (1833–1882), his best friend Peter Knubel (1832–1919), his brother-in-law Alois Pollinger (1844–1910) and Josef Imboden (1840–1925), St. Niklaus became a school and centre for mountaineering in Switzerland and the starting point for challenging tours. 3 Leading visitors to the summit was a popular way to earn a living among the local population – one which could be combined with working on the farm, was held in high regard and ultimately offered the opportunity to earn good money. The local mountain guides began taking their sons along with them on tours from an early age, thus handing down the tradition from generation to generation.