Lenkerhof

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Lenkerhof gourmet spa resort
Hotel Alliance Relais & Châteaux
Template: Infobox Hotel / Maintenance / City is missing
address Badstrasse 20, CH-3775 Lenk
Website www.lenkerhof.ch
Hotel information
opening 2002
owner Hotel Lenkerhof AG (Jürg and Doris Opprecht)
management Jan-Andreas Stiller and Heike Schmidt
Classification Five star superior
Awards 2005 Hotel of the Year Gault-Millau, 6 × Geo Saison Award
Employee 90–110 (depending on the season)
sales 12 million francs
Furnishing
room 83
Restaurants 4 as well as terrace
Bars 1 and Cigar Lounge
Photo of the hotel

Coordinates: 46 ° 27 '14.8 "  N , 7 ° 26' 10.5"  E ; CH1903:  599,817  /  144753

The Lenkerhof gourmet spa resort is a five-star superior hotel in Lenk , a municipality in the Simmental in the Swiss canton of Bern . The hotel looks back on 350 years of history as a spa with its own spring . Earlier names were Kurhaus Bad Lenk (until 1878), Grand Hotel Bains de la Lenk (until approx. 1900), Grand Hotel Kurhaus Lenk (until 1977), Kurhotel Lenkerhof (until 2002) and Lenkerhof Alpine Resort (until 2012).

history

Hohliebibedli

Advertisement for Bad Lenk in the Allgemeine Zeitung Munich 1871

At the beginning of the 17th century, travelers and residents were already using the sulfur and iron source of Hohlieb on the western side of the valley in the village of Lenk. On April 6, 1689, the city of Bern granted the driver Christen Perreten the first bathing concession. The concession for a bath with tavern rights was lost around 1769. After the pharmacist Karl Friedrich Morell had carried out the first rudimentary water analyzes on January 10, 1796, the spring was framed and a bathhouse was built on a nearby hill , which was henceforth called Hohliebibedli . In 1813 Johannes Rieben applied for a concession for an inn. The canton of Bern then arranged for the pharmacist Pagenstecher to carry out a second water analysis of the two springs, but rejected the request in 1814. A similar request by Jakob Bächler in 1823 was also rejected. In 1831 another lawsuit followed because of the moral decline in bathing.

After a further extensive investigation of the source by Ludwig Rudolf von Fellenberg in 1841 , it was recommended that the water be mixed with that of the Balm source located on the site and an iron source, which was henceforth called the bath source . In 1843, the old magistrate Christian Marggi bought the source and built a spa nearby for tourist use, but this could not be fully completed because an official license for the bar was refused.

In 1857, Marggi, now president of the court, founded the bathing company Lenk AG with two doctors, Messrs. Locher from Biel and Hauser in Gurnigel and the Graubünden hotelier Peter Vernier . The company acquired additional properties and completed the construction according to a new, more comprehensive plan. The source has been redrafted. The bath house was extended and the bath facilities for steam heating were installed. All buildings were equipped with hydrants . In total, a spa was created with around 30 living rooms and six bathrooms, restaurants and bathrooms, which began operating in 1858, but was only open for three months in the summer.

Bad Lenk health resort

Around 1862 the spa company built a new spa with two buildings with a total of 80 rooms and 24 bathrooms, shower and steam bath facilities . In 1864 Peter Vernier paid off the resigned shareholders and took over the spa along with the springs and all the buildings. In the same year the buildings were connected with a gallery and the spa was continued as the Bad Lenk spa under director F. Bassler. Another scientific water analysis was carried out in 1876 by Schwarzenbach and Müller. According to a statement in the Swiss Medical Weekly of 1878, medical indications were : inflammatory lung affections, suspected tuberculosis, chronic liver diseases, catarrh of the mucous membranes, especially of the bladder, gynecological diseases, skin diseases . From this time on, the flowering began, and in the following years a number of reviews were made, including in Westermann's monthly notebooks 1867, the yearbook for balneology, hydrology and climatology 1878 or in Brockhaus General Encyclopedia of Sciences from 1889.

Grand Hotel Bains de la Lenk

Bains de la Lenk
lithograph, mid-19th century

On July 16, 1878 a fire destroyed almost the entire village center of Lenk. Although the spa and spa were spared, many locals emigrated. Since then, the bath has been operated as the Grand Hôtel Bains de la Lenk under the direction of Antoine Kaelin-Archinard. In 1884 Georg Jonquiere became a spa doctor and Pierre Vernier took over the management of the spa center. The hotel was expanded to include 150 rooms by 1885.

The Spiez-Erlenbach-Zweisimmen Railway , which opened in 1902, and the Montreux – Zweisimmen railway line from 1905 , which were extended to Lenk in 1912, were important for the development of Lenk as a tourist destination .

Grand Hotel Kurhaus Lenk

Around 1900 the name of the hotel was changed to Grand Hotel Kurhaus Lenk . Little is known about the time of the First and Second World Wars .

With the inauguration of the first Lenker mountain railway on the Balmen on December 12, 1937, called Funi , the tourist structure expanded beyond the bathing stay to include winter sports.

In 1947 Otto Rindlisbacher resigned as director of the Grand Hotel and took over the restaurant in the Dählhölzli zoo in Bern. At that time, the Lenk Kurhaus was the most important bathing establishment in the canton of Bern.

Kurhotel Lenkerhof

In 1969 the owner family Vernier intended to leave the Kurhaus to a mass tourism organization, which met with criticism in the community. To prevent this, the Lenk hotelier Samuel Perrollaz founded a rescue company . With this he acquired the property with a capital of 1.2 million francs as well as support from the community and transferred it to the Grand Hotel Bad- und Kurhaus AG Lenk in December 1969 . In addition to the almost complete interior renovation of the hotel with its 105 rooms, plans began in 1972 to build a new spa department with an indoor pool . A first project draft by the architects Glaus / Antes from Zurich envisaged building costs of 18 million francs . This sum was reduced to around 8 million francs after an economic efficiency calculation. To realize this, the share capital was increased to 4.5 million francs by 1975, in which both the municipality of Lenk contributed 500,000 francs, as well as many residents and regular guests. Additional capital was added through the sale of some properties to the Bernese business development agency and through subsidies amounting to 3.9 million francs. The remainder of the construction costs totaling 8.252 million Swiss francs were financed with outside capital . According to plans by the Zurich architects Glaus, Allemann und Partner , a new spa center with a striking roof turret as a restaurant and a public indoor pool was built in around 13 months until 1977 . Following a resolution by the Board of Directors under President Jost Krippendorf , the name was changed to Kurhotel Lenkerhof . The spa doctor was Rudolf Komar, and Peter C. and Ursi Taylor were in charge of the hotel and spa center. Up until 1984, some old parts of the building in the rear were demolished.

Around 1990 the hotel was expanded again with an extension. Due to the revision of the Health Insurance Act, spa guests stayed away from 1994. On May 31, 1996 the Kurhotel Lenkerhof AG had to file for bankruptcy and was deleted from the commercial register by an order of February 24, 1998 after bankruptcy proceedings were closed. As a result, the hotel became the property of the Berner Kantonalbank . Following the recent partial revision of the Health Insurance Act, the Bad Lenk spa center was again recognized as a spa by the Federal Department of Home Affairs on January 17, 2001 .

Lenkerhof Alpine Resort

In 2001, after the real estate bankruptcy of the Bernese Kantonalbank, the investor Jürg Opprecht took over the then Kurhotel Lenkerhof from their Bad Bank Dezennium AG to the Hotel Lenkerhof AG and developed it together with Hans-C. Leu has developed its own unconventional operating concept under the title of the youngest 5 * hotel in Switzerland . From 2001 the hotel was practically completely renovated according to plans by the architects Jaggi & Partner, Gstaad , and the spa center was expanded into a spa . The total investment was around 40 million francs. On Friday, December 13th, 2002, the Lenkerhof reopened as the five-star Lenkerhof Alpine Resort . Philippe Frutiger took over as director and Urs Gschwend as head chef during the construction and start-up phase . In 2003 Rolf Fliegauf joined the company as a sous chef.

Although the wellness boom and the trend towards health vacations caused bathing to soar, the term “medicinal bath” had a negative connotation with “sick” and “old”, so that fitness offers and therapeutic services increasingly came into focus. In order to facilitate a reorientation in the luxury segment of the hotel industry, the company was removed from the list of spas again in 2004. In 2005 Daniela and Daniel Borter took over the management of the hotel from Daniela and Philippe Frutiger, who joined the Giardino Hotel Group with Rolf Fliegauf. After Urs Gschwend left in 2007, Jan Leimbach took over the management of the kitchen and in 2009 was Hotel Chef of the Year.

Stefan Lünse has been the head chef at the Lenkerhof since 2014.

Lenkerhof gourmet spa resort

At the end of 2010 Jan Stiller and Heike Schmidt took over the management of the hotel. Until his departure in 2012, Jan Leimbach cooked the Lenkerhof 17 points in the Gault-Millau . He was followed by Andreas Haseloh. In 2012 the name of the hotel was changed as part of a realignment to Lenkerhof gourmet spa resort and the operation of the Bühlberg mountain restaurant was taken over independently after the tenant left. The restaurant was extensively renovated and expanded to include a terrace and playground. For additional extensions to the hotel, the municipality changed the building regulations for Kurzone No. 12 in Lenkerhof in the same year and in 2013 approved the sale of two building plots at the location of the former MSA canteen owned by the municipality to Hotel Lenkerhof AG.

In 2016, the office of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hotel Lenkerhof AG changed from owner Jürg Opprecht to Roland Berger. In the same year, the company was expanded to include two newly built employee houses in the town center according to plans by Ateliermarti Architects . The investment amounted to CHF 10 million.

hotel

The Lenkerhof gourmet spa resort is operated by the Hotel Lenkerhof AG based in Lenk. The hotel is located below the source of the Balmen at the foot of the Betelberg in an exposed, secluded location at approx. 1100 meters above sea level. M. It has 83 rooms, a wellness area and various restaurants. One of them, the Spettacolo restaurant, has been awarded 16 Gault Millau points under chef Stefan Lünse since 2017 . There is also a cigar lounge and a special restaurant for children ( The Little Prince ). For conferences and events, the hotel has four seminar rooms (two of which can be merged), which are offered under the name “DenkTank Lenk”.

Since 2012, the Lenkerhof has also included the at 1664 meters above sea level. M. located mountain restaurant Bühlberg as well as the Südschnee bar, which is only open in the winter season, at the valley station of the Bühlberg– Hahnenmoos chairlift at 1660 meters above sea level. M.

The hotel has been a member of the Relais & Châteaux association since 2012 and was named one of the ten best wellness hotels in Europe in 2012. It is described in well-known travel guides and can be booked on all major portals.

Sulfur spring and spa

Three sources belong to the Lenkerhof:

  • The Hohliebiquelle with 52 cc of H 2 S / l is the strongest source of sulfur of the Alps .
  • The Balmenquelle with only 2.8 cm³ H 2 S / l was also offered for drinking.
  • The bath spring with a high iron content.

For the 2000 m² spa of the Lenkerhof with the name 7sources beauty & spa , only the water from the Balmenquelle is used for treatments and in the outdoor pool . The name is based on the seven sources of the Simme ( Siebenbrünnen ). It has an outdoor and indoor pool with a water temperature of 34 and 28 degrees Celsius, a fitness studio , a sauna area with seven saunas and a steam bath , as well as an area for cosmetic and wellness treatments.

Awards

  • 2005: Hotel of the year by Gault-Millau
  • 2006–2012: 6 × Geo Saison Award
  • 2017: 3rd place in the gourmet locations category and 3rd place for the Bühlberg mountain restaurant in the wedding locations category of the Swiss Location Awards

Special

  • Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd spent several winters as a guest in Bad Lenk between the two world wars .
  • At the Lenk Kurhaus, the Swiss dentist Hans von Weissenfluh succeeded in proving the pharmacological effectiveness of mouthwashes around 1937 on the basis of a study in which he treated 30 patients there with sulfur water as a mouthwash. The idea came to him after observing the effectiveness of sulfur inhalations in the oral cavity. From this, recognized therapies in stomatology developed to this day . Weissenfluh is considered to be the inventor of the first oral irrigator .
  • The parents of hotel director Jan Stiller ran the Bühlberg mountain restaurant from 1978 to 1994.
  • As part of a report , hotelier- editor-in-chief Hans R. Amrein was a temporary manager at the Lenkerhof for a week in 2015.
  • The hotel supports the BPN (Business Professionals Network) foundation founded by the owner Jürg Opprecht in 1999 to promote craftsmen in selected countries in order to turn them into small businesses with the aim of safeguarding jobs.

literature

  • Georg Jonquiere: The sulfur bath and the climatic health resort on the Lenk in the Bernese Oberland . Blessing, Zweisimmen 1900.
  • Albert Treichler, Ernst Buss : Bath and health resort Lenk in the Bernese Oberland . Rieder & Simmen, Bern 1877.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Hans R. Amrein: When I was once a hotelier ... In: Hotelier . tape 10/2015 , November 13, 2016, p. 21st ff . ( issuu.com ).
  2. ^ A b c Adrian J. Lüthi: The mineral baths of the canton of Bern: nature, development and tourist significance . Buchdr. E. Jenzer, 1957, p. 101 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  3. ↑ a b c Local history association of the Simmental (ed.): Simmentaler Heimatbuch . Verlag Paul Haupt, Bern 1937, p. 531 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e municipality of Lenk (ed.): All life comes from water (commemorative publication 300 years of Bad Lenk) . Self-published, Lenk 1989, p. 12 ff. u. Chronicle 33 ff .
  5. ↑ R. v. Fellenberg: Chemical investigation of the handlebar sulfur water . In: Naturforschende Gesellschaft in Bern (Hrsg.): Communications of the Naturforschende Gesellschaft in Bern . tape 385/496 , 1857, pp. 49 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  6. ↑ a b Conrad Meyer-Ahrens : The healing springs and health resorts of Switzerland: described in historical, topographical, chemical and therapeutic relationship, Volume 1 . Orell, Füßli & Comp., 1860, p. 172 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  7. ^ A b Anne-Marie Dubler : Lenk. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . November 30, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2017 .
  8. ^ Walter Senn: Special organ for alpine studies, natural science, tourism and balneology, Volume 6 . Senn & Liermann, Zurich 1874, p. 307 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  9. ↑ a b R. Flückiger-Seiler: Tourism and hotel history in the Bernese Oberland Anniversary publication 100 years of the Bernese Oberland hotel industry . Buchdr. E. Jenzer, 2017, p. 10 ( historehotels.ch [PDF]). Tourism and hotel history in the Bernese Oberland Anniversary publication 100 years of the Bernese Oberland Hotellerie ( Memento of the original from August 30, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted 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 / historehotels.ch
  10. ↑ a b Swiss Medical Weekly, Volume 8 . B. Schwabe & Company, 1878, p. 382 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  11. ^ Mohr: About valley formation . In: Westermannsmonthshefte . tape 21 , 1867, p. 618 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  12. ↑ Enoch Heinrich Kisch : Yearbook for balneology, hydrology and climatology . Braumüller, 1878, p. 98 u. 204 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  13. ↑ General encyclopedia of science and the arts in alphabetical order . Brockhaus Encyclopedia , 1889, p. 79 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  14. ↑ a b Important events in the history of tourism in Lenk. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Lenk-Simmental Tourism, archived from the original on September 23, 2017 ; accessed on August 28, 2017 . 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 / lenk-simmental.ch
  15. ↑ a b Lenk interest group: Looking to the future! In: Simmental newspaper. September 9, 2010, accessed August 31, 2017 .
  16. ↑ a b c Impressive visit to the Lenkerhof. In: Simmental newspaper . October 14, 2010, accessed August 28, 2017 .
  17. ↑ Funi Lenk-Balmen 1937 to 1948 (with illustration) on bergbahnen.org
  18. ↑ advertisement . In: L'Impartial . No. 20293 , August 6, 1947, p. 4 (French, rero.ch [PDF]).
  19. ↑ Lenk: made-to-measure spa center . In: Hotel + Tourism Review . tape 86/1977 , no. 28 , July 14, 1977, pp. 10 ff . ( e-periodica.ch ).
  20. ↑ SPA Lenkerhof AG bankrupt . In: Schweizerisches Handelsamtsblatt . 116th volume, March 10, 1998, p. 6 ( fenceit.ch [PDF]).
  21. ^ A b Order on the approval of spas as service providers for social health insurance. (PDF) Federal Department of Home Affairs , January 17, 2001, accessed on August 30, 2017 . Order on the approval of spas as service providers for social health insurance. (PDF) Federal Department of Home Affairs, December 22, 2004, accessed on August 31, 2017 .
  22. ↑ a b Rita Ziegler: Luxury pool at the foot of the Wildstrubel. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung. August 30, 2003. Retrieved August 28, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Christine Künzler: The holiday world begins in the lobby . In: Hotel + Tourism Review . tape 111/2003 , no. 1 , January 2, 2003, p. 10 ff . ( e-periodica.ch ).
  24. ↑ Merci Urs Gschwend. In: Simmental newspaper. December 21, 2006, accessed September 23, 2017 .
  25. ↑ Katja Imme, Daniel Vonlanthen: Archeology takes care of bathing culture. In: Berner Landbote. June 16, 2016, accessed August 31, 2017 .
  26. ↑ sgu: Health vacation is the more modern cure. In: N-TV . Retrieved August 30, 2017 .
  27. ^ Jan Leimbach Hotel Chef of the Year 2009. In: Gourmet Report. October 29, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2017 .
  28. ↑ Selma Schlaginhaufen: Something beautiful is growing up there! (PDF) In: Gourmetworld. August 21, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2017 .
  29. ↑ Lenkerhof - luxury hotel on the foundations of a spa | FrontRowSociety - The Magazine . In: FrontRowSociety - The Magazine . July 22, 2018 ( frontrowsociety.net [accessed July 24, 2018]).
  30. ^ Mathias Morgenthaler: When the director of the 5-star hotel grills sausages with his guests. In: The Bund . December 19, 2012, accessed August 30, 2017 .
  31. ↑ Jan Leimbach scores 17 points for the Lenkerhof. In: Berner Zeitung. October 4, 2011, accessed September 23, 2017 .
  32. ↑ Andreas Haseloh becomes the new head chef at the Hotel Lenkerhof alpine resort. In: Hotelier. August 21, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2017 .
  33. ^ Sarah McGrath-Fogal: More space in the mountain house on the Bühlberg. In: Thuner Tageblatt . June 16, 2016, accessed September 1, 2017 .
  34. ↑ Samuel Günter: A Bödeler in the Lenkerhof - Daniel Borter replaces Philippe Frutiger. In: The Brienzer. August 11, 2006, accessed August 30, 2017 .
  35. ↑ Development regulations, Kurzone No. 12 Lenkerhof Approval change of development regulations . In: Municipality of Lenk (ed.): Information document . November 27, 2012, p. 18 ( lenkgemeinde.ch [PDF]). Sale of building plots 3a, 4a, 4b and 4c; Approval of the facts . In: Municipality of Lenk (ed.): Municipal assembly 2013 Minutes of meeting No. 2 . November 26, 2013, p.
     12 ( lenkgemeinde.ch [PDF]).
  36. ↑ Roland Berger new Chairman of the Board of Directors. In: The Brienzer . August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2017 .
  37. ↑ Walter Zeller: 10 million francs for satisfied employees. In: Berner Zeitung. July 15, 2016, accessed September 3, 2017 .
  38. ↑ Entry in the commercial register , accessed on September 1, 2017.
  39. ↑ Markus Dütschler: “Gault Millau 2017” - winners and losers. In: The Bund. October 10, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2017 .
  40. ↑ a b The “Lenkerhof” is Hotel of the Year. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . August 30, 2005. Retrieved August 28, 2017 .
  41. ^ A b Claus Schweitzer: In strange beds. In: The time . February 24, 2005, accessed August 28, 2017 .
  42. ↑ . Hotel Lenkerhof gourmet spa resort. (PDF) In: MICE. Lenk-Simmental Tourismus, accessed on September 3, 2017 .
  43. ↑ a b The Lenkerhof now runs the Bühlberg. In: Berner Zeitung. February 7, 2012, accessed August 30, 2017 .
  44. ↑ Carsten Hennig: Swiss luxury hotel Lenkerhof new member of Relais & Châteaux. (No longer available online.) In: Hotelling. November 12, 2012, archived from the original on September 3, 2017 ; accessed on September 3, 2017 . 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 / hottelling.net
  45. ↑ a b c Why Oberland wellness hotels are among the best in Europe. In: Berner Zeitung . February 3, 2012, accessed August 28, 2017 .
  46. ↑ Switzerland. In: Geographical Lexicon of Switzerland . Fifth volume. Attinger, Neuenburg 1908, p. 296.
  47. ↑ Samuel Günter: The winners of the Swiss Location Awards have been chosen. In: Swiss specialist newspaper for tourism. Hotelleriesuisse , June 7, 2016, accessed on August 30, 2017 .
  48. ^ Walter Senn: German Stomatology, Volume 7 . VEB Verlag Volk und Gesundheit, 1957, p. 359 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search). Ursula Fein: Experimental and clinical experience with the oral irrigator for periodontal diseases . Bonn 1964, p.
     24 ( limited preview in Google Book search). Weissenfluh Dr. Hans of. In: Dental knowledge. June 16, 2016, accessed September 2, 2017 .
  49. ↑ BPN Foundation at lenkerhof.ch, accessed on September 1, 2017.