Bürgenstock Resort

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View of the Bürgenstock (in the middle of the picture)

The Bürgenstock Resort (also Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne ) is a Swiss hotel and tourism complex above Lake Lucerne in the canton of Nidwalden . The resort is located on the Bürgenberg (Bürgenstock) and comprises a total of 30 buildings, including four hotels and numerous sports facilities. This makes it the largest integrated hotel resort in Switzerland. The area has a special ridge location: on the north side it offers a view of Lake Lucerne 450 meters below. It is connected to this by the Bürgenstock Railway . To the south there is a view of the mountain landscape and the archetypal scattered settlement slopes . In addition, the complex is of cultural and historical importance.

It belongs to the hotel group The Leading Hotels of the World .

The old Bürgenstock Resort

prehistory

The history of the Bürgenstock Resort began with the tourism pioneers Franz Josef Bucher-Durrer and Josef Durrer . The two entrepreneurs from Kerns , Canton Obwalden , bought Alp Tritt with their company Bucher & Durrer in 1871 and named their hotel project Bürgenstock . They operated a sawmill and a parquet factory in Kerns. In order to employ the employees of these companies, the two built the Hotel Sonnenberg in Engelberg in 1869/1870 , which they were able to sell at a profit one year after completion. The proceeds from the sale enabled them to purchase Alp Tritt. Franz Josef Bucher-Durrer recognized the development of tourism and its potential around Lake Lucerne at an early stage. Even before the opening of the first hotel, the name Alp Tritt disappeared, giving way to the Bürgenstock place name, which has become a trademark .

Hotel history and ownership

Palace Hotel (2016)
Aerial photo from 1900 m from 1919
Swimming pool at the hotel (1956)

Franz Josef Bucher and Josef Durrer opened the Grand Hotel on June 23, 1873 under the then name Hotel Kurhaus . The company came into the sole ownership of Bucher in 1877, who in 1886 and 1887 founded the power plant on the Engelberger Aa in Buochs ​​to operate the feeder line to the Bürgenstock and the Stanserhorn Railway , and in 1888 the Bürgenstock Railway and its own water supply erected. The Park Hotel also opened its doors in 1888 , the Bürgenstock Chapel was built in 1892 , the Palace Hotel was opened in 1904 and several villas east of the Palace were built between 1900 and 1905 . The Hammetschwand lift dates from 1905.

Friedrich Frey-Fürst bought the Bürgenstock Hotels in 1925. Between 1925 and 1948 the three hotel buildings were completely renovated, and a golf course was laid out in 1928. In 1953, after Friedrich Frey's death, his son Fritz Frey took over the management. He implemented various structural and infrastructural changes. Under the aegis of Fritz Frey and his family, personalities such as the actors Sophia Loren , Audrey Hepburn and Sean Connery as well as politicians such as Jimmy Carter and Henry Kissinger were guests on the Bürgenstock.

In 1996 the family sold the Bürgenstock Resort to the major Swiss bank UBS . The Richemont Héritage SA based in Vich VD acquired in 2000, the property, and five five-star hotels that were in debt at UBS with a total of around 115 million francs. In 2003 the company changed its name to Rosebud Hotels Holding SA as a result of the sale of the eponymous Hotel Richemont. In 2007, the Barwa Real Estate Company from the emirate of Qatar participated half in the projects of Rosebud Hotels Holding SA , which in addition to the Bürgenstock Hotels also owned the Hotel Schweizerhof in Bern and the Royal Savoy in Lausanne . In 2008, the Barwa Real Estate Company separated from Rosebud Hotels Holding SA and became the sole owner of the Bürgenstock Resort. A new operating concept comes from Bruno H. Schöpfer. In 2009 the Barwa Real Estate Company transferred the Swiss hotel portfolio to the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company . The latter is 100 percent owned by the State of Qatar; their subsidiary QDHP Swiss Management AG was responsible for the management of the Swiss hotel projects. In 2011, Katara Hospitality , a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority , became a new investor. In the same year the Bürgenstock Selection brand was founded. These include the new Bürgenstock Resort , the “Royal Savoy” hotel in Lausanne and the “Schweizerhof” hotel in Bern. In 2012, the activities in Switzerland were transferred to Katara Hospitality Switzerland AG , based in Zug . It is the operating company of the Swiss hotels.

On the south side of the Bürgenstock lies the Hotel Villa Honegg , which Emil Durrer (1873–1923), a nephew of Franz Josef Bucher , built and opened in 1906. It was run as a family business until 1977. After a comprehensive renovation, the house was reopened in 2011.

Prominent guests

Audrey Hepburn on the Bürgenstock golf course, mid-1950s

In the fifties and sixties, the Bürgenstock was one of the most famous addresses in the international jet set . The list of illustrious guests who stayed at the “Grand Hotel”, the “Palace” or the “Park Hotel”, which opened in 1873, is long. Hollywood greats Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer got married in 1954 in the small chapel on the Bürgenstock. Sophia Loren and her husband Carlo Ponti lived in one of the chalets for seven years .

Stays by other prominent contemporaries:

The new "Bürgenstock Resort"

New buildings and extensions since 2014

Hotels and restaurants

The foundation stone for the new resort was laid on March 26, 2014. The resort is located on the Bürgenberg, is completely car-free and comprises 30 buildings. These include four hotels with three to five stars with a total of 383 rooms and suites : Bürgenstock Hotel (5 * Superior), Waldhotel - Healthy Living (5 *), Palace Hotel (4 * Superior) and Pension Taverne 1879 (3 *). In addition, a more than 2200 m² conference center for up to 900 people is being built. The resort also includes 68 residence suites, 12 restaurants and bars as well as numerous sports and leisure options. The new resort should be open all year round. A total investment of around CHF 500 million is expected. Parts of the hotel opened at the end of August 2017.

Wellness and health offer

The Bürgenstock Resort has a 10,000 m² spa area with indoor and outdoor areas and three pools. In addition, a 5,000 m² sauna area, hammam , shower and whirlpool baths and a fitness park were built. The Waldhotel Healthy Living offers a range of medical treatments: Rehabilitation & Reconditioning , Diagnostics & Medical Check-up , Beauty & Healthy Aging , Weight Management & Lifestyle and Body & Mind Balance . It has its own hotel; the rehabilitation facility is open to both normal insured persons and private payers.

Golf course

As part of the complete renovation, the golf course , which opened in 1928, was extensively renovated and redesigned. It is one of the first golf courses in Switzerland. The new 9-hole golf course in the Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne was officially opened on June 25, 2016 .

Learning path

In cooperation with the Lucerne University of Education , the Bürgenstock Art and Culture Foundation created a learning path on the Felsenweg. It extends over a distance of 1.5 kilometers and was opened on June 26, 2015.

Monument and landscape protection

In the new Bürgenstock Resort , 43 million francs will be invested in monument and landscape protection measures. For example, the embroidery building was restored according to the original plans and the historically important Palace Hotel , built in 1906, is being renovated in accordance with the requirements of monument protection.

The Swiss inventory of cultural assets of national and regional importance (KGS inventory) lists numerous buildings and facilities in the Bürgenstock Resort that are worthy of protection. A distinction is made between objects of national importance (A objects) and regional importance (B objects).

A properties of the Bürgenstock Resort include:

  • Pool Bürgenstock Club
  • Embroidery building
  • Gübelin building
  • Weather station
  • Roundels

B objects of the resort are:

The buildings and facilities of the Bürgenstock Resort are in the ISOS - Federal Inventory of Swiss Places of National Importance worthy of Protection . The Lake Lucerne landscape with Kernwald, Bürgenstock and Rigi is in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance (BLN).

Hotel operations

The resort expects 150,000 overnight stays per year. Up to 800 employees will be employed in full operation at the resort.

Literature and Adaptations

  • Romano Cuonz , Hanspeter Niederberger : hotel king, manufacturer: Franz Josef Bucher - mountain railway builder, inventor: Josef Durrer - painter, dreamer: Beda Durrer. Brunner, Kriens 1998, ISBN 3-905198-45-2 .
    Special print under the title: From farmer's son to hotel king - Franz Josef Bucher. Literary research, Edition Magma / Brunner Verlag, Lucerne 1998, 2nd edition 2015.

Web links

Commons : Bürgenstock  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ A mountain awakens. In: Bilanz , August 30, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  2. ↑ Erich Vogler: Living in the monument. Obwalden building culture in use. Verein Werkstil, [Sachseln] 2012, ISBN 978-3-033-03623-9 , p. 128.
  3. ↑ The history of Villa Honegg. on www.villa-honegg.ch. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  4. ↑ Johannes Ritter: Expensive Revival on the Mountain. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , 10 Aug 2016, p. 22
  5. ↑ Start of construction for the Waldhotel on the Bürgenstock. In: Neue Nidwaldner Zeitung , March 26, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  6. ↑ Tradition is the trump card for the Bürgenstock. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung , March 27, 2014. Accessed July 7, 2014.
  7. ↑ The legend is revived. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, October 26, 2012. Accessed April 30, 2013.
  8. ↑ Press releases - Bürgenstock Resort Lucerne. Retrieved September 8, 2017 .
  9. ↑ R + B engeneering , Bürgenstock SPA Alpine, News, June 30, 2014
  10. ↑ A superlative luxury resort. ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Hotelier, 7/8 2011  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hotelier.ch
  11. ↑ Head of Waldhotel Healthy Living designated. In: Hotel Revue Switzerland, February 4, 2016.
  12. ↑ Golf courses opened in Andermatt and on the Bürgenstock. Luzerner Zeitung , June 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ Article They invite you to travel back in time - very contemporary. In: Neue Obwaldner Zeitung , June 27, 2015.
  14. ↑ lernpfad-felsenweg.ch , website for the Felsenweg learning path
  15. ^ Neue Luzerner Zeitung : Preservation of monuments watches over the new Bürgenstock building. February 13, 2014
  16. ↑ Fachkom: Bürgenstock: A tightrope walk between the preservation of monuments and the new building , February 14, 2014.
  17. ^ Federal Office for Civil Protection : Current KGS inventory with A and B objects. ( Memento of the original from December 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.babs.admin.ch
  18. ↑ Federal Office of Culture : List of sites of national importance.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / dav0.bgdi.admin.ch  
  19. ↑ Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Subject Landscape: Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance (BLN) ( Memento of the original dated August 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 1606: Vierwaldstattersee with Kernwald, Bürgenstock and Rigi (photo 1983). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bafu.admin.ch


Coordinates: 46 ° 59 ′ 48 "  N , 8 ° 22 ′ 47"  E ; CH1903:  671 579  /  205496