Ritterhaus Chasa de Capol
20 October 2022
The Swiss government met at Müstair in Val Müstair (canton of Graubünden) on 12 October. Sixty years earlier, however, members of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany (BRD) and cabinet meetings had been a familiar sight at the Ritterhaus (House of the Knight) in Sta. Maria, located a few kilometres further away.
The Ritterhaus
The history of this monumental complex dates back to the 12th century, but its function as a hotel has only existed since 1962. In 1955, Swiss musician and conductor Ernst Theophil Amadeus Schweizer (1932-2021) bought the complex. The Basel-born musician was a conductor in Venice and found a new home in the Münstertal valley between Basel and Venice.
He renovated the Ritterhaus in authentic style, and he hosted famous guests from politics, business, art, film and music after 1962, including President Theodor Heuss of the German Federal Republic (Bundesrepublik Deutschland), its Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, Eugen Gerstenmaier, President of the parliament (Bundestag), Foreign Minister Heinrich von Brentano, Ludwig Erhard and many other members of the government. Charly Chaplin, Herbert von Karajan, Albert Hofmann, Max Frisch, Friedrich Dürrenmatt and other celebrities were among the guests.
His son Ramun Schweizer took over running the hotel in 1997. Father and son renovated and refurbished the hotel with great respect for its centuries-old history and culture. It is, in fact, a museum, even the kitchen, with Ramun as the chef, is based on the classic wood oven, copper pans and regional recipes.
Ramun Schweizer in front of the kitchen
Interior
The centuries-old chapel, the medieval walls, the Gothic vaults, the fireplace in the drawing room, the separate authentic medieval kitchen with a fireplace oven, carriages and an Oldtimer from 1934 (a black Citroën Tractation Avant), a dining room in the knight’s hall, breakfast in a Stube, the fondue room, twelve authentically furnished bedrooms (with Wifi, without television), the Venetian Marco Polo bar and the Davidoff smoking room and various other rooms create a comfortable and unique atmosphere.
Diner Room
Breakfast Room
Fondue Room
Davidoff Smoking Area
Landing with access to the rooms
Theatre, chapel and wine cellar
The theatre and its Steinway piano on the top floor deserve a separate mention. The theatre is still in use for concerts or other events. Instruments, masks and props from and about Venice also refer to the musician and conductor Schweizer. Basel and the Basler Fasnacht also have, of course, a special place in the Ritterhaus.
The theatre
The Chapelle
The wine cellar
History
The beginnings of the complex date back to 1199. The dynasty Polo, from Venice, also settled in Sta. Maria and remained until 1839. The house is named after Capol, Ca-Pol, or House Power of Polo. This dynasty held senior positions in the Republic of Venice, the Bishopric of Chur, and the Habsburg administration. The Capols were also economically active in the region.
After the conquest of Valtellina, Bormio and Chiavenna in 1512 by the three Liques of present-day Graubünden, members of the dynasty were bailiffs (Podestà) in Valtellina.
The dynasty remained Catholic during the reformation, which was not self-evident in protestant Sta. Maria. Augustinian monks even had a hospice (due to its location on the Umbrail Pass) and a refectory in the eastern annexe of the complex and used the chapel mentioned above.
Emperor Friedrich of Habsburg (1415-1493) elevated the dynasty to the Counts of Capol in 1481. In 1506, Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) spent a few days in the Ritterhaus. After the dynasty died out, the complex was empty until 1955 and fell into disrepair.
Conclusion
After 1955, the Ritterhaus Chasa Capol began its second life. The cosmopolitan and cultural atmosphere and spirit of the Capols, Val Müstair, trade, monks, Säumer (on their way to and from Tyrol via the Umbrail Pass), emperors, counts, knights and other dignitaries are still present in an authentic and musical, Venetian and Basler setting.
The Ritterhaus is also looking to the future. An outdoor swimming pool will be ready to receive guests in a magnificent natural setting in 2023.
The Basler Fasnacht in the Ritterhaus
Moreover, in 2000, the Ritterhaus got another knightly touch: in that year, Ernst Theophil Schweizer became a Ritter of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a papal order.
Charter of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
The beginnings of this order date back to 1099, a century before the Ritterhaus was built. Today, there are about 30 000 knights of this order worldwide. However, a Basler hotelier and Venetian conductor living in Sta. Maria in Val Müstair as Knight of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem was a unique appearance and, at the same time, a tribute to the Ritterhaus and this knight.
Source and further Information: Ritterhaus Chasa de Capol
