Casino Interlaken
The Casino Interlaken is located in the Kursaal Gardens in Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland . It was founded in 1858, but could only exist for one year before the legal ban on gambling in the canton of Bern. After a varied history of use in other areas, it received a B license with 22 other Swiss casinos in 2001 as part of the new Swiss casino legislation and was reopened on July 3, 2002.
history
1858 to 1910
In 1858, 33 private individuals acquired the approximately 14 hectare property of the former medieval Augustinian monastery inter lacus , south of the Aare , which had been abolished during the Reformation; the area had been owned by the municipality since 1528. In the middle of the area they created a promenade (today Höheweg), on which hotels and parks stretched. This complex constituted the former spa and today's congress center, which also included the casino.
In 1859, the whey health resort opened with a Kursaal, bars for reading, games, conversation, restaurants, music and balls; Just 1 month later, however, the canton issued the ban on "Hazard games", whereupon the Kurhaus was closed again. Since it was closed, there has been no gaming operation for almost 100 years. Only the whey cure facility continued to operate for 40 years.
The Kurhausgesellschaft Interlaken corporation was founded in 1862 . In 1898 the whey sanatorium, which had failed during a check by the medical examination office, had to be closed; it was never opened again. The fallow spa facilities were temporarily used by a beer restaurant and for sporadic events, before a new investment concept took hold a year later.
From 1899 to 1910 a concert and theater hall was built as part of a comprehensive renovation project in order to be able to use the former spa facilities for congresses in the future. This complex was opened in 1910, but the congress business was not able to establish itself sustainably in the 4 years up to the outbreak of the First World War.
1914 to 1945
The First World War (1914–1918) brought a serious collapse for the former spa center, despite Swiss neutrality. At the beginning of 1914, almost all of the staff were drafted into waiting for military service and the Kursaal was closed. After Switzerland was not attacked, many employees were able to return to their jobs in 1915, but business was bad due to the general supply crisis and inflation.
From 1920 until the Second World War , the economy recovered; slowly the number of guests and visitors rose again. During the Second World War, the army converted the Kursaal into a warehouse.
1945 to 2000
In the post-war period, there was extensive restructuring. The first thing in 1946 was the open concert hall with glass windows. After completion of the construction work (new garden design, fountain, flower clock) the Kursaal was reopened.
From 1955 to 1958, after further renovations, a small gaming room was added to the bar. In 1967 the new entrance area on Höheweg and the Petit Casino were built . All kinds of games of chance were still officially prohibited, but took place anyway.
In 1980 a new congress building was inaugurated. The historic Kursaal was added to the list of federal antiquities and placed under federal monument protection. From 1980 to 1987 the historic Kursaal was extensively renovated. In 1998, the legal basis was created in Switzerland for re-permitting gambling and for re-issuing casino licenses (SBG SR 935.52 of December 18, 1998).
Todays situation
On October 24, 2001, the Swiss Federal Council granted 22 casino licenses, including a B license for Interlaken; 20 applications are rejected. The concession is initially for 20 years. The new Casino Interlaken opened on July 3, 2002. Casino Interlaken (2007) was the first B-Casino in Switzerland to integrate Texas Hold'em Poker into its range of games. Today, visitors can choose from a wide variety of slot machines in the so-called small game ; American roulette , blackjack and, from 2007, poker are played in the Grand Jeu . Various events are also offered as part of the game. So played u. a. the legendary band Ten Years After in Interlaken for the tenth anniversary of Casino 2012 .
Casino Interlaken has been the first casino in Switzerland to offer a web app for smartphones since the end of 2012.
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 41 '19.1 " N , 7 ° 51' 29.5" E ; CH1903: 632 095 / 170910