St. Moritz, Bridge, Nature and Culture
9 February 2023
The mineral springs in the Upper Engadine have been famous for centuries. The Romans and, before that, the Räthian tribes and their predecessors already knew about the healing effects.
Moreover, the spring church of St Mauritius (St Moritz, St Murezzan in Romansh) was already a popular place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, especially after Pope Leo X (1475-1521) solemnly promised pilgrims access to heaven in 1519.
Paracelsus, wall painting in nearby Samedan.
Renowned doctors such as Paracelsus (1494-1541) praised the healing powers of mineral water. St Moritz, like the rest of Oberengadin, belonged to the Gotteshausbund. In 1577, the village adopted the Protestant faith.
St. Moritz had 183 inhabitants in 1803 (the creation of the canton of Graubünden). In 1870, the village had 400 inhabitants. But after 1870, the numbers sharply increased. Today, the village has more than 5 000 inhabitants (about 3 200 Swiss and 1 800 foreigners, apart from the many dual nationalities).
Segantini Museum
Engadiner Museum
Several galleries, beautiful museums (the Segantini Museum, Museum Engiadinais (Engadiner Museum), the Berry Museum, the Forum Paracelsus, the Mili Weber Museum) and a library with an extensive collection of literature, photos and documents on the history and culture of St Moritz and the Engadine, bear witness to the rich culture and fascinating history.
The village also boasts many works of art and several art trails. Notable monuments include the Leaning Tower (Schiefer Turm), the Grand Hotels and several churches and secular buildings.
‘We were what you are, and you will be what we are” (Puter idiom)
The leaning tower (der Schieferturm)
The 12th-century tower was part of St. Mauritius Church, which was demolished in 1890. The building beats the Tower of Pisa!
1856 marks the beginning of the rich Grand Hotel history with the Kulm Hotel (still Pension Faller in 1856). Back then, the mainly English summer guests came only for the summer season. Johannes Badrutt (1819-1889), the owner and founder of the Kulm Hotel, invited them to his hotel at Christmas. If they were not satisfied, he would also pay the travel expenses.
Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski
Kulm Hotel
Hotel Victoria
Badrutt’s Palace
Indeed, they travelled to the Oberengadin and returned only after Easter, tanned and satisfied. They were the first winter tourists in the Alps and discovered a new world: the dry and white winter holidays full of sunshine instead of the damp, cold and dark winter in England. Winter tourism in the Alps had been launched, with the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics being the highlights.
In 1868, the first English skating club was founded; in 1880, the first curling club on the continent; in 1887, the skeleton club; in 1893, the first golf club in Switzerland.
In 1896 the first cricket match on a frozen lake took place; in 1906, the first horse races on snow and in 1907, on a frozen lake. The first FIS World Ski Championships were held in 1934, and in 1960 the first polo match in the Alp took place.
Special mention should be made of the construction of the Cresta Run in 1885 from St. Moritz to Celerina and the birth of the bobsleigh archetype in St. Moritz. On 21 December 1897, the St. Moritz Bobsleigh Club (SMBC) was founded.
Since 1941, St Moritz has also been home to Europe’s first international bridge tournament, which still exists. And not only that. The Bridge Host at Suvretta House is the last of the Mohicans of his generation, offering bridge lessons and fun to guests five months a year. A tradition from the years 1925-1940!
But St. Moritz also means nature. Lake St. Moritz and the Alps are a balm for the soul in all seasons.
Hanselmann confiserie
The library
Commemoration of Count Jules de Bylandt (1863-1907), killed on the Cresta Run on February 18th, 1907.