Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera
Encyclopedia
The neorenaissance-style Grand Hotel Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera with Sgraffito
-Elements was one of the first addresses in the Swiss Alps
and was a major Belle Époque
monument in Europe. With its 270 beds it was the largest hotel in Scuol
-Tarasp
-Vulpera and was one of the most important new hotel buildings in the 19th century and is thus a piece of architectural history
.
, which was inspired by the Grand Hotel for his last novel “Durcheinandertal”. In 1988 the hotel was closed for renovation and guided tours were offered which also included the big kitchen, which was planned to be transformed in a swimming pool during the renovation works.
On 27 May 1989 the hotel was destroyed by conflagration
which seemed to be a case of arson
. The annual report of the Graubünden Insurance Company lists the following: Total loss Hotel Waldhaus arson
, Amount of loss: 23 Million Swiss Francs. Today the site is transformed in a park, which incorporates architectural remains (such as cast iron columns) of the Grand Hotel
The Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera served as model hotel for Dürrenmatts last novel “Durcheinandertal”. After Dürrentmatt had finished his manuscript, in which the hotel burns down, the real Hotel Waldhaus also burned down. Charlotte Kerr
and Friedrich Dürrenmatt have visited the hotel ruins in autumn 1989.
's novel «Tender is the Night». There is also a TV documentatary about the hotel's history and the conflagration:
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
-Elements was one of the first addresses in the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
and was a major Belle Époque
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
monument in Europe. With its 270 beds it was the largest hotel in Scuol
Scuol
Scuol is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The official language in Scuol is Romansh.-Name:The official name has undergone several changes in the 20th century:...
-Tarasp
Tarasp
Tarasp is a municipality in the district of Inn in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Its eleven settlements are situated within the Lower Engadin valley along the Inn River, at the foot of the Sesvenna Range....
-Vulpera and was one of the most important new hotel buildings in the 19th century and is thus a piece of architectural history
Architectural History
Architectural History is the main journal of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain .The journal is published each autumn. The architecture of the British Isles is a major theme of the journal, although it includes more general papers on the history of architecture. Member of...
.
History
The Grand Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera was erected 1896–97 by the architect Nikolaus Hartmann senior (1838–1903), it was opened on June 8th 1897. Among the frequent visitors was also Friedrich DürrenmattFriedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire...
, which was inspired by the Grand Hotel for his last novel “Durcheinandertal”. In 1988 the hotel was closed for renovation and guided tours were offered which also included the big kitchen, which was planned to be transformed in a swimming pool during the renovation works.
On 27 May 1989 the hotel was destroyed by conflagration
Conflagration
A conflagration or a blaze is an uncontrolled burning that threatens human life, health, or property. A conflagration can be accidentally begun, naturally caused , or intentionally created . Arson can be accomplished for the purpose of sabotage or diversion, and also can be the consequence of...
which seemed to be a case of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
. The annual report of the Graubünden Insurance Company lists the following: Total loss Hotel Waldhaus arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, Amount of loss: 23 Million Swiss Francs. Today the site is transformed in a park, which incorporates architectural remains (such as cast iron columns) of the Grand Hotel
The Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera served as model hotel for Dürrenmatts last novel “Durcheinandertal”. After Dürrentmatt had finished his manuscript, in which the hotel burns down, the real Hotel Waldhaus also burned down. Charlotte Kerr
Charlotte Kerr
Charlotte Kerr is a German director, film producer, actress, writer, and journalist.She first performed on stage in Fritz Kortner’s version of Schiller’s Don Carlos in 1951...
and Friedrich Dürrenmatt have visited the hotel ruins in autumn 1989.
Exhibitions
- Hotel architecture then and now. (2008–2009) Das Gelbe Haus Flims. This exhibitions presents ten hotel biographies, among them „WALDHAUS VULPERA – a case of arson?“.
Movies
The Hotel Waldhaus was used for the BBC-production of F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
's novel «Tender is the Night». There is also a TV documentatary about the hotel's history and the conflagration:
- Tender is the NightTender is the NightTender Is the Night is a novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was his fourth and final completed novel, and was first published in Scribner's Magazine between January-April, 1934 in four issues...
(1985) BBC tv-production of the novel Tender is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald) - Brand des Hotel Waldhaus in Vulpera (1989) by Claudia Knapp 6 mins.
Literature
- Friedrich Dürrenmatt: Durcheinandertal., Diogenes, Zurich 1989, ISBN 978-3257230673.
- Roland Flückiger-Seiler: Hotelträume zwischen Gletschern und Palmen. Hotelpaläste zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit. Schweizer Tourismus und Hotelbau 1830–1920, Baden 2003, ISBN 978-3906419688, Pages 166-219.
- Ulrich Weber: Das Kurhaus im «Durcheinandertal». Friedrich Dürrenmatt und das «Waldhaus Vulpera» In: Seger, Cordula (Ed.), Grand Hotel. Bühne der Literatur. Dölling und Galitz, München 2007, ISBN 978-3937904542, Pages. 159–171.
External links
- Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera
- Hotel Revue
- The great loss of an architectural monument: 20 years ago the Hotel «Waldhaus» Vulpera was destroyed by conflagration (PDF-File; 3,84 MB)
- Movie about Renato Testa, the last owner of the Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera. The hotel fire is shown during minutes 4.00 to 5.00 of the 25 minute movie.