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Seelisberg

Grand Hotel

Spa

... the place where:

1. History of Seelisberg

The municipal territory of Seelisberg lies on the border with Canton Nidwalden on a ridge of land that was difficult to reach until the 19th century and which juts out like a promontory into Lake Lucerne. Until the 19th century, this tract of land was virtually inaccessible.

Because of its remoteness, Seelisberg developed a great deal of independence early on.

8. c.

First mention of Seelisberg under the name “Cinglin”

1291

The Rütlischwur oath of allegiance is allegedly sworn on the Rütliwiese meadow below Seelisberg and the Sonnenberg mountain, formerly known as a place of pilgrimage. Federal Charter of the original cantons.

1589/17. c.

The illustrious Herr Balthasar, Bishop of Ascalon and Suffragan Bishop of Constance, consecrated the small chapel built around the shrine of the Holy Virgin on 7 July 1589. From the 17th century onwards, countless believers came in pilgrimage to the chapel of Maria Sonnenberg on the rock terrace on the left shore of the wild and romantic Lake Lucerne.

1637

72 parliamentary sessions are held in the Haus zur Treib.

17. - 18. c.

A ferry operates from Seelisberg to Brunnen and the Treibhaus, a harbourside inn providing refreshments and accommodation.

1666

New construction of the pilgrimage chapel Maria Sonnenberg, high esteem and a stream of pilgrims.

1843

First docking of a scheduled steamship at the Treib pier.

1848

First Federal Constitution of 12 September 1848, which changed Switzerland from a confederation to a federal state.

1853-74

Seelisberg developes into a world-renowned spa resort.

1859

Funds raised by the Schweizer Schuljugend (Swiss Schoolchildren’s Foundation) gives ownership of the Rütliwiese to the Schweizerische Gemeinnützigen Gesellschaft (Swiss Charitable Society).

1860

The Mythenstein (Myth Stone) between Treib and Rütli is renamed the Schillerstein (Schiller Stone) in honour of the German author Friedrich Schiller, and inscribed accordingly.

1870-72

The Emmetten-Seelisberg-Treib road is built.

1874

Michael Truttmann builds the Grand Hotel Kulm and Sonnenberg, which still exists today.

1916

The Treib-Seelisberg railway runs for the first time, replacing carriages and sedan chairs.

1940

General Henri Guisan gives a speech known as the Rütlirapport on the Rütliwiese to all commanding officers.

1947

Religious groups meet in Seelisberg to recognise Judaism in Switzerland.

1966

Initiation of a village bus operation in Seelisberg.

1980

Seelisberg tunnel, a more direct road connection with the Urner Reusstal valley.

1991

As part of Switzerland's 700th anniversary celebrations, the “Swiss Path” is opened from Rütli past Seelisberg and Flüelen to Brunnen.

2017

After the Treib-Seelisberg railway, this year Seelisberg celebrates 100 years of tourism.

2. From farmhouse to Grand Hotel Sonnenberg-Kulm

Before 1800

Only the Haus zur Treib on the lake has the right to offer refreshments and accommodation.

After 1800

Next to the church and chapel of Sonnenberg, a farmhouse and an inn are built, offering accommodation to occasional foreign craftsmen and pilgrims.

1825-1850

The first hostelry is built at the site of the current Grand Hotel.

1834

K.F. Lusser is the first to write that Seelisberg would make an excellent spa resort.

1837

The first steamships traverse Lake Lucerne, stopping at Brunnen. The transfer to Treib is still done with rowing boats.

1839

Landlord Martin Aschwanden offers the first “whey cures” in the Sonnenberg inn.

Ab 1840

The inn by the church and the hostelry by the chapel of Sonnenberg receive more and more guests and pilgrims on the St. James Way from and to Einsiedeln.

1840

The small hostelry by the chapel is given a second storey with a dining room.

1850

Seelisberg enjoys its first boom as a spa and health resort, thanks to the special whey cures and the unique views from the guest house Sonnenberg.

1852

Michael Truttmann buys the old inn and is given permission to build a second one. He relocates the adjacent road.

1854

Underpinned by masonry, a garden is added that runs up to the Rütlifluh as well as a promenade up to below the chapel.

1854

As a result of the growing spa trade, the steamships now make regular stops on the Treib.

1858

Further landscaping projects are carried out on the Sonnenberg.

1860

The new extension is inaugurated.

1864

The so-called Steinhaus (stone house) or “English Pension” was built as additional accommodation on the south side of the wooden construction of 1860.

1868

Truttmann pins his hopes on the promising spa tourism.

1869

Truttmann installs a telegraph wire to Beckeried.

1870

A four-storey Dependance (annexe) is built, complete with bakery, laundry and additional rooms.

1870

Truttmann finances the building of the Sonnenberg-Emmetten road largely out of his own pocket.

1870

A whole village economy springs up, with blacksmith, stables, cart shed, joinery and gasworks.

1871

Truttmann funds a new road to Rütli and paths to various viewpoints.

1874/75

Truttmann has a new Grand Hotel built on the site of the original inn. The architect is the famous Horace Edouard Davinet.

Ab 1875

Gas lighting in the building and on the promenade means the hotel was visible at night from far and wide.

Um 1890/90

A new complex is built on the lake side of the Grand Hotel: a park-like promenade with cast iron railings, candelabra-style lights, water fountains and a kiosk.

1901

The wooden building of 1853/59 is demolished. The Grand Hotel now has an uninterrupted view of the lake.

1916

The Treib-Seelisberg railway begins operations.

1920

A sunbathing area is established.

1930

The first heated swimming pool is built.

1947

The “International Conference of Christians and Jews” takes place on the Sonnenberg.

1968

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi stays at the Grand Hotel for the first time.

1972

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi buys the two hotels “Kulm” and “Sonnenberg”.

1976/1977

The Sonnenberg site is turned into a Centre for Transcendental Meditation by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

1987

Dr Oliver Werner establishes the “Ayurveda Health Centre”.

3. Spa resort and guest list, popular meeting place

At the end of the 19th century, when Seelisberg had achieved world fame as a spa resort, many illustrious guests, artists, nobles and statesmen came from all over Europe and many famous guests visited from Switzerland.

For weeks on end, the hotels of Seelisberg became a popular meeting place.

For aristocrats keen to enjoy the spa treatments, the hotels and pensions offered a pleasant place to stay.

1852

After the purchase of the hospitality business by Michael Truttmann, Seelisberg experienced a rapid development, becoming a well-known and thriving spa resort of the Belle Epoque.

1864

From 1864, as well as whey and goat’s milk cures, the resort offered hydrotherapy treatments, with medical support provided by the spa doctor at the Schöneck clinic.

The treatments were particularly recommended for lung diseases such as bronchitis, catarrh and asthma, but also for anaemia, addictions, nervous disorders and heart conditions.

Time spent on the sun terrace above Lake Lucerne so close to the high mountains was also designed to offer, quite simply, the chance to take a break from what was already perceived as hectic everyday life.

Read More

Extract from the hotel brochure for the Grand Hotel Sonnenberg in 1896 under the title “Eldorado on Lake Lucerne”:

“The work of the current generation is stressful and energy-sapping. In almost all areas of human activity there is an immeasurable sense of competitiveness, which puts great demands on individuals as they attempt to act honourably in this environment. In addition, they have to cope with the worries and difficulties that are always present in every family and every office. All this weakens the otherwise robust life force, dampens the intellect and enthusiasm, makes irritable nerves more susceptible, and causes periods of anger and depression; the heart beats faster and breathing becomes erratic. People are suffering, even if they do not consider themselves to be physically ill. When you realise that for some people their whole life is lived in crowded cities with streets starved of sunshine and cramped living spaces, with the deadening monotony of the daily grind or stimulating pleasures and distractions, then it is easy to grasp and appreciate the strong desire to spend time in the free and open beauty of the natural world, for summer freshness amidst beautiful scenery, as a way of healing body and soul ready to return reinvigorated to everyday life.”

1870 | 1875

A telegraph connection to Beckenried, a post office and the road to Emmetten, built by the hotelier at his own cost in 1870, and the road to Treib, built in 1875, guaranteed good access and connections between the hotel and the outside world.

The Grand Hotel Sonnenberg thus rose up slowly but surely through the ranks of the large, world-famous Belle Epoque hotels.

Here, too, there was pleasure in the visit of celebrities, who publicised the establishment and sealed the reputation of Seelisberg as a place of retreat, encounter, reflection, inspiration and the source of new creativity beyond the borders of Switzerland.

Read More

Extract from the hotel brochure for the Grand Hotel Sonnenberg in 1896 under the title “Eldorado on Lake Lucerne”:

“A stay in the spa resort of Seelisberg is to be recommended for three reasons: because of the unique natural scenery of Lake Lucerne, because of the history of the memorial sites there and, last but not least, because of the balancing effects of the lake climate.”

Seelisberg, the place where…

  • Richard Wagner found the ideal scenery and melodies for his work “The Valkyrie”
  • Christians and Jews met after the Second World War and agreed 10 measures against anti-Semitism
  • City archivist Schneller from Lucerne was a spa guest for 25 years
  • The king of Saxony came as a pilgrim and enjoyed a holiday with his family
  • The legal scholar Osenbrüggen spent time as a spa guest
  • Countless people learned the deep effects of meditation and discovered a new sense of awareness
  • Three men met on the Rütliwiese and agreed a covenant
  • Poets captured the beauty of the landscape in select poetic words
  • Joseph Viktor von Scheffel (1826-1886) immortalised Seelisberg in the Mountain Psalms
  • Geneva-born landscape painter Calame saw this as the most beautiful region for artistic existence
  • Cardinals Frühwirth and Mercier came as pilgrims
  • Hermann Hesse and Leo Tolstoy found inspiration
  • Dr Konrad Adenauer and Professor Ludwig Erhard sought relief from political life and reflected on the future of their country and Europe
  • Humble pilgrims brought their innermost thoughts and beliefs to the pilgrimage chapel
  • Oskar von Redewitz wrote his famous poem about Seelisberg
  • Gottfried Keller met friends here and celebrated his 70th birthday
  • Charles Giron found the motif for his picture of Lake Lucerne, which now hangs in the National Council Hall in Berne
  • Maharishi Mahesh Yogi set up a global meditation centre and attracted countless people seeking enlightenment to Seelisberg
  • General Henri Guisan held the memorable Rütlirapport speech on the Rütli on 25 July 1940

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