Bürgenstock Resort
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Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne is a
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
luxury resort and tourism complex situated above
Lake Lucerne Lake Lucerne (, literally 'Lake of the four Waldstätte, forested settlements' (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), , ) is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. Geography The lake has a compli ...
in
Canton of Nidwalden Canton of Nidwalden or Nidwald ( ; ; ; ) is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven municipalities and the seat of the government and parliament is in Stans. It is tradi ...
, Switzerland. The resort is located on the Bürgenberg and comprises a total of 30 buildings, including three hotels, residences, two spas, a conference centre and a number of leisure facilities. It is the largest integrated hotel resort in Switzerland. The complex is built above a
ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...
offering north-facing views of the lake 500 metres below. Linking resort and lake is the
Bürgenstock Funicular The Bürgenstock Funicular (; BB) is a funicular railway in the canton of Nidwalden, Switzerland. The line links the landing stage at Kehrsiten-Bürgenstock, served by the regular passenger boats of the Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstätt ...
. Views to the south encompass mountains and scattered settlements on their flanks. The resort is of cultural and historical significance. After major works that began in 2014, the resort was reopened in 2017.


History

Franz Josef Bucher Franz Josef Bucher (17 January 1834 – 6 October 1906) was a Swiss business magnate, politician and patron who built his wealth in hotels and railroads. Bucher established the Bürgenstock hotel complex and was the owner and patron of Europe's ...
and Josef Durrer (1841–1919) were businessmen from Kerns, Canton
Obwalden Canton of Obwalden or Obwald ( ; ; ; ) is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of seven municipalities and the seat of the government and parliament is in Sarnen. It is traditio ...
. They had a
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
and a factory making wood flooring in Kerns. To keep their workforces in employment, the two men built the Hotel Sonnenberg in
Engelberg Engelberg (lit.: ''mountain of angel(s)'') is a village resort and a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Alongside the central village of Engelberg, the municipality enc ...
in 1869/70, which they were able to sell at a profit one year after completion. Their company Bucher & Durrer purchased Alp Tritt on the Bürgenberg in 1871 and applied the name to their new hotel development. The Grand Hotel opened on 23 June 1873 under its original name of Hotel Kurhaus. In 1886 and 1887, Bucher and Durrer built a
hydroelectric plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...
on the
Engelberger Aa The Engelberger Aa (or ''Engelbergeraa'') is a river in Switzerland. It rises west of the Surenenpass in the Canton of Uri, flows through the valley of Engelberg ( Obwalden) and Nidwalden. At Buochs it flows into Lake Lucerne and is there ...
river in
Buochs Buochs is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland. History Buochs is first mentioned in 1124 as ''Boches''. In 1184, it was mentioned as ''Buoches'', then in 1210 as ''Buches ...
to power the
funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...
between the lake and the Bürgenstock Hotels, as well as the
Stanserhorn The Stanserhorn is a mountain in Switzerland, located in the canton of Nidwalden near the border with Obwalden, with the peak at above sea level. It is a popular tourist destination, which can be reached from the adjacent town of Stans by a fu ...
funicular. In 1888, the company opened the Bürgenstock Funicular and began provision of the resort's water supply. Also, in 1888 the Park Hotel opened, followed by the Bürgenstock Chapel in 1892, the Palace Hotel in 1903, and the erection of a number of villas to the east of the latter between 1900 and 1905. The Hammetschwand Lift opened in 1905. Bucher acquired sole control of the company in 1895. On the southern side of the Bürgenstock is the Villa Honegg, a hotel built and opened in 1906 by Emil Durrer (1873–1923), a nephew of Franz Josef Bucher. It remained a family-run establishment until 1977. Following further renovation, the hotel reopened in 2011. Friedrich Frey-Fürst (1882–1953) purchased the Bürgenstock hotels in 1925. From 1925 to 1948 the three hotels underwent significant renovation. A golf course opened in 1928. Management of the resort passed to Friedrich Frey's son Fritz on the former's death in 1953. Fritz Frey made a number of changes to the buildings and infrastructure. The family sold the Bürgenstock Resort to the major Swiss bank
UBS UBS Group AG (stylized simply as UBS) is a multinational investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland, with headquarters in both Zurich and Basel. It holds a strong foothold in all major financial centres as the ...
in 1996. The buildings were acquired in 2000 by Richemont Héritage SA of Vich, Canton
Vaud Vaud ( ; , ), more formally Canton of Vaud, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of Subdivisions of the canton of Vaud, ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat ...
together with five other five-star hotels indebted to the UBS for about CHF 115 million. The company changed its name to Rosebud Hotels Holding SA in 2003 after disposing of its Hotel Richemont. The Barwa Real Estate Company, domiciled in the Emirate of
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
, took a 50% holding in the company's assets in 2007 which, alongside the Bürgenstock Hotels, comprised the Schweizerhof in
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
and Royal Savoy in
Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
. The Barwa Real Estate Company separated from Rosebud Hotels Holding SA in 2008 to become sole owner of the Bürgenstock Hotels. The Barwa Real Estate Company transferred its Swiss hotel portfolio to the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company in 2009. The latter is wholly owned by the State of Qatar; its subsidiary QDHP Swiss Management AG was responsible for managing the Swiss hotel projects. In 2007 Katara Hospitality, a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority (the Emirate of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund), became the new investor. The Bürgenstock Selection brand was created that same year, afterwards named into Bürgenstock Collection. This incorporates the new Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne, the Hotel Royal Savoy in Lausanne and the Hotel Schweizerhof in Bern. The Swiss activities were transferred in 2012 to Katara Hospitality Switzerland AG, domiciled in
Zug Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; ; ; ; )Named in the 16th century. is the largest List of cities in Switzerland, town and capital of the Swiss canton of Zug. Zug is renowned as a hub for some of the wealthiest individuals in the wor ...
.


New resort built

In 2014, work began to create a more modern resort. To safeguard Bürgenstock Resort's testimony to Switzerland's post-
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
tourism heritage, a protection plan was put in place. Alongside the Grand Hotel and Palace Hotel, this comprised numerous smaller buildings erected in the 1950s and 1960s. The Office of Historical Monuments of the Canton of Nidwalden, the owners,
Nidwalden Canton of Nidwalden or Nidwald ( ; ; ; ) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven municipalities and the seat of the government and parliament is in Stans. It is traditionally considered a " half-canto ...
's cantonal council (in NW: ) and the municipality's government sought successfully to preserve the historical buildings by establishing a committee mandated with developing a master plan to place the buildings under heritage protection. The historical weather station has since been relocated to a different site.


Changes since 2014

The cornerstone for the new resort was laid on 26 March 2014. The resort on the Bürgenberg mountain is completely car-free and comprises 30 buildings. These include three hotels ranging in standard from three to five star Superior and offering a total of 360 rooms and suites: the Bürgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa, the Waldhotel by Bürgenstock, and Taverne 1879. Also emerging is a conference centre capable of accommodating up to 600 persons. The resort also features 17 residence suites, and 12 restaurants, lounges and bars. It opened in summer 2017, and is operating all year round. The total investment volume is CHF 650 million. The resort boasts the 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft) Bürgenstock Alpine Spa with an indoor and an outdoor area and five swimming pools,
saunas A sauna (, ) is a room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a sauna is used to meas ...
, a
hammam A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...
,
steam room A steam bath is a steam-filled room or steam-filled cabinet designed for the purpose of relaxation and holistic treatment. Steam baths have been formally recognized since ancient Greek and Roman Empire, Roman times, yet variations can be found t ...
, showers, three Private Spa Suites and a gym. The 9-hole golf course was re-opened on 25 June 2016. On the same day, the foundation and the University of Teacher Education Lucerne opened a learning trail on the cliff path. CHF 43 million were invested in monument and landscape conservation measures. The old broidery building 'Stickerei' has been restored to its original plans, while the historically important Palace Hotel, which dates from 1903, was being renovated in compliance with requirements imposed by heritage and monument agencies. The
Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance #REDIRECT Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National and Regional Significance {{R from other capitalisation ...
(the KGS inventory) lists a number of buildings and facilities in the Bürgenstock Resort deemed worthy of protection. The inventory draws a distinction between assets of national importance (A assets) and of regional importance (B assets). 'A' assets in the Bürgenstock Resort include the pool in the Bürgenstock Club, the 'Stickerei', the Gübelin building, the weather station, and the 'Rondelle'. The resort's 'B' assets are the Palace Hotel, the Blockhaus, the Spycher, the Grand Hotel, the Restaurant Taverne and Taverne 1879, the Bürgenstock Funicular, and the Hammetschwand Lift. The buildings and facilities of the Bürgenstock Resort are also listed in the Federal
Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites The Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites (ISOS) is part of a 1981 Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council implementing the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage. Sites of national importance Types The types are based on t ...
(ISOS). The Lake Lucerne landscape with Kernwald, Bürgenstock and Rigi is listed in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance. In a 2012 study, BAK Basel Economics AG wrote that the new resort will provide economic benefits to the Central Swiss region. The study predicted that the new Bürgenstock Resort will attracted new affluent visitors to the region, generating 150,000 extra overnight stays. According to the study, revenues generated by the new Bürgenstock Resort once fully up and running could be in the region of CHF 100 million for the resort, and 40 million for its suppliers. The study estimates that the project will generate annual tax revenues of about CHF 8 million for the cantons and municipalities of Central Switzerland. By 2020, the latter's cumulative tax revenues directly attributable to the resort's operations could reach CHF 33 million. It is estimated that one job is created outside the resort for every three inside it. In terms of employment in Canton Nidwalden's economy as a whole, the resort's share is 3.6 percent.


Famous guests

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...
and
Mel Ferrer Melchor Gastón FerrerAncestry Library Edition (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, director, and producer, active in film, theatre, and television. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with ...
got married in the Bürgenstock Chapel in 1954.
Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...
and her husband
Carlo Ponti Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. (11 December 1912 – 10 January 2007) was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cin ...
resided for seven years in one of the villas. German Chancellor
Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...
spent the summer months of July and August 1950 in the resort and conducted affairs of state there.
Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
had a holiday in the resort in 1951, accompanied for the first time by his daughter
Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...
. Two years later he met
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
’s foreign minister there, Karl Gruber. The film crew shooting the James Bond film ''Goldfinger'' resided at the Palace Hotel in 1964 alongside Bond actor
Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...
. American politicians such as
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
and
Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...
have also been guests at the resort. Königin Ingrid von Schweden.jpg, Queen Ingrid of Denmark on the Bürgenstock, late 1940s Audrey Hepburn auf dem Bürgenstock (01).jpg,
Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...
on the golf course, mid-1950s


Important conferences

The resort has also been the place for several important international conferences over the years. In 1960 and 1995 the Bilderberg Meetings where held there; in early 2002, the belligerents in the
Second Sudanese Civil War The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil Wa ...
held a first meeting there after 19 years of war, this eventually led to a peace agreement in 2005; in spring 2004, Bürgenstock Resort was the site for negotiations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots on the issue of accession to the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
; and the Summit on Peace in Ukraine to initiate a peace agreement in the
Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...
on 15 - 16 June 2024.


References


External links

* Hansjakob Achermann
Bürgenstock
Historical Dictionary of Switzerland The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' (Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse; DHS) is an encyclopedia on the history of Switzerland. It aims to present the history of Switzerland in the form of an encyclopaedia, published both on paper a ...
(German)
History of the Bürgenstock-Hotels
on the website of Bürgenstock Kunst- und Kulturstiftung (German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgenstock Resort Hotels in Switzerland Stansstad Hospitality companies of Switzerland Cultural heritage of Switzerland Buildings and structures in Nidwalden