Center da Capricorns

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Center da Capricorns

The Center da Capricorns ( Capricorn is Rhaeto-Romanic for ibex ) is located in the mountain village of Wergenstein am Schamserberg in the canton of Graubünden , Switzerland, at 1,489  meters above sea level. M. The Center da Capricorns has four different organizations. The Fundaziun Capricorn , the Hotel Restaurant Capricorns , the office of the Beverin Nature Park and the Research Group Tourism and Sustainable Development at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences . For visitors there is an exhibition about the Alpine ibex and information about the nature park.

history

In 1933 the Swiss Metal and Watch Workers Association (SMUV) bought a simple house on the southern outskirts of Wergenstein. The workers should have the opportunity to spend inexpensive holidays in the “fragrant mountain air”. In the following year, a large chalet was built, followed by the extension with the wooden balconies and finally the foundation made of quarry stone masonry. The last expansion in the south of the house took place around 1950. The Piz Vizan holiday home was very popular with trade unionists, and the house was usually fully booked in the summer months. That changed in the 1970s when new vacation destinations in the Mediterranean became more popular. In 1996 the SMUV sold the house to the community. For the Hotel Piz Vizan a rather unfortunate time began.

In 2003 a cooperative was founded to continue running the hotel. A new impetus came when a regional working group started the project Center da Capricorns with regioViamala , which was supported by the federal government , the canton and the Basel MAVA Foundation . The Schamserberg should develop sustainably thanks to the center. In 2005, the Fundaziun Capricorn Foundation was established with this aim in mind and took over the hotel from the municipality.

In addition to the hotel and restaurant, the offices of the Research Group Tourism and Sustainable Development of the ZHAW have been located in the Center da Capricorns since the beginning of 2007 . The office of the Beverin Nature Park has also been rented in the house since 2012.

In 2011 and 2012, the entire building complex was renovated with the support of Schweizer Berghilfe and the preservation of monuments in Graubünden. The focus was on thermal insulation, the installation of geothermal heating and the renovation of the technical facilities. Great emphasis was placed on preserving the original character of the hotel complex. In spring 2014, the Capricorn exhibition with information about the ibex and the Beverin Nature Park was opened.

The Center da Capricorns has received several awards:

activities

The four institutions in the house deal with the development and nature of the mountain region:

  • In addition to promoting sustainable development on the Schamserberg, the purpose of the Fundaziun Capricorn Foundation is, above all, the maintenance and management of the hotel property. Fundaziun Capricorn initiated the Project Center da Capricorns .
  • The Hotel and Restaurant Capricorns has 30 rooms with 54 beds and a restaurant. In 2013 the restaurant was awarded 12 points by Gault Millau . The cuisine is characterized by regionality. The hotel serves as a starting point for hikes and activities in nature such as wildlife watching, cultural visits etc. as well as a conference location for events and seminars.
  • The Beverin Nature Park office is also working on sustainable regional development. The Beverin Nature Park has officially been awarded the label of the Federal Regional Nature Park of National Importance since 2013 . The Beverin Nature Park encompasses the area around Piz Beverin : the Schams , the Safiental and the communities of Tschappina and Sufers . The area around Piz Beverin is home to over 300 animals, one of the largest ibex colonies in the Alps.
  • The ZHAW Research Group Tourism and Sustainable Development is the Graubünden branch of the Institute for Environment and Natural Resources (IUNR) of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Wädenswil . In terms of content, the seven employees in Wergenstein deal with research, service and education issues in the field of nature and culture-related tourism, with the aim of promoting the sustainable development of communities and regions. It is about the adapted economic use of the intact natural and cultural areas in order to secure the long-term strengthening of rural regions. In exchange with the urban centers, the research group sees itself as an innovation center for rural areas and wants to make a practical and concrete contribution to sustainable development. In the mandate for the canton of Graubünden, the research group leads the competence center for nature and culture-related tourism in Graubünden .

Web links

Coordinates: 46 ° 37 '35.3 "  N , 9 ° 24' 28.1"  E ; CH1903:  750,794  /  165 805