The style of traditional Engadin houses is unmistakable: their massive walls, playfully decorated facades and elegant gables radiate down-to-earth pride. A breath of chic grandeur, meanwhile, pervades the historical Grand Hotels and the masterpieces of contemporary architecture.
The architectural tour presents buildings of various types and from different stylistic periods, from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Architectural tour Samedan
In 1655 the Albertini family, originally from Bologna, converted a simple farmhouse into this majestic patrician house. Now in private ownership, the elegant building serves as Engadin holiday accommodation, at times to illustrious guests.
7522 La Punt Chamues-ch
Located directly beside the Chesa Albertini, the Chesa Froriep boasts a striking and unusual feature. One of the house’s earliest residents served the region’s rulers in Tarasp castle well, and in thanks received the castle’s ornamental clock complete with small bell tower. He built these into the Chesa Froriep and connected the bells on the roof with the bells throughout the building, so that ever since they have all chimed together.
7522 La Punt Chamues-ch
250,000 shingles of larch timber cover this structure suggesting a pine cone, which makes a dramatic architectural statement in St. Moritz. Designed by the internationally renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster and completed in 2004, the building combines futuristic design with organic materials and traditional construction techniques. It houses exclusive residential apartments.
Via Tinus 25
7500 St. Moritz
The striking Chesa Merleda, with its arcades of rounded arches and gables decorated with merlons, was originally built for Captain Ulrich Albertini and completed in 1649. Renovated in 1800 and converted and restored in 1999, this grand residence is one of the best-known patrician houses in Graubünden.
7522 La Punt Chamues-ch
Oscar Niemeyer – pioneer of modern architecture, kindred spirit to Le Corbusier and architectural mastermind behind the Brazilian capital, Brasilia (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987) – designed just one building in Switzerland: the Oscar-Niemeyer-Haus on the northern shores of Lake St. Moritz. He was able to witness completion of the structure in 2011 himself, at the age of 104. Today the building, which suggests a curved sheet of white paper, serves the photographer Florio Puenter as home and studio.
Via Dimlej 14
7500 St. Moritz
The high, panelled walls and ceilings, the medieval works of art and the impressive panoramic windows give the Grand Hall an almost sacred aura. Here, you are well placed to observe the sublime natural landscape – or the glamorous guests on “St. Moritz’s catwalk”.
Via Serlas 27
7500 St. Moritz
Heart of this neo-baroque building constructed in 1848 is the magnificent art nouveau dining room, with its ornate painted ceiling.
Via da la Staziun 2
7504 Pontresina
What began as a small 12-bed pension in 1855 is now one of Switzerland’s most luxurious hotels. Its extended facade dominates the slope above Lake St. Moritz; its magnificent interiors have impressed and charmed generations of guests.
Via Veglia 18
7500 St. Moritz
A bewitching combination of traditional and contemporary design: built in 1912/13 in the Graubünden “Heimat” style by Nicolaus Hartmann, the Hotel Castell enjoyed an extensive renovation in 2004/5 by the Amsterdam-based UNStudio and the Engadin architectural bureau Ruch. Interior design highlights include dramatic features by the architect Gabrielle Hächler and the artist Pipilotti Rist; the hotel’s distinctive tower boasts a light installation by the artist James Turrell.
Via Castell 300
7524 Zuoz
Just outside St. Moritz visitors find a fairy-tale castle: not an architectural concept, for sure, but this description spontaneously comes to mind for many guests. The magnificent structure was built in 1912 by Karl Koller, considered one of the leading hotel architects of the early-20th Century, in late-historicist style.
Via Chasellas 1
7500 St. Moritz
Likewise a little secluded from the bustle of St. Moritz and Sils, the dramatic Waldhaus Sils stands proudly on a hilltop like a fortress. This elegant building, inaugurated in 1908, also bears the signature of Karl Koller, the architect who designed Suvretta House.
Via da Fex 3
7514 Sils im Engadin/Segl
The majestic Alp Serlas was built in 1827 by Giachem Orlandi for agricultural purposes and today serves as a venue for peaceful breaks and as a hunting lodge. The impressive structure, with its many windows, whitewashed walls and long stables, can be reached on a magnificent two-hour walk from La Punt.
7522 La Punt Chamues-ch
Designed in 2002 by the Engadin architect Hans-Jörg Ruch, the extension to the Chamanna da Tschierva mountain refuge suggests a chest made of larch wood floating beside the venerable Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) hut. Located at an altitude of 2,600 metres, the building offers phenomenal views of the surrounding glacier-draped mountains.
7504 Pontresina
The Cresta Run Clubhouse is an elegant white, curved building with a sleek control tower: a fine example of post-war modern architecture on the edge of St. Moritz. It was on the twisting track of ice running alongside that four fearless British guests invented the tradition of racing on low toboggans, stomach-down and head-first, all the way down to Celerina – a remarkable test of courage.
Via Ruinatsch 5
7500 St. Moritz
In 1972, the entire heart of the village of Bever was given conservation status by the canton of Graubünden, thanks to the remarkable concentration of magnificent historical buildings, beautifully restored, in a small area. Ornate “sgraffito” decoration adorns many of the facades; the twisting alleys are a delight to explore.
7502 Bever
This small Romanesque church dating from the 13th Century is one of the most important sacred historical buildings in Graubünden. The interior boasts magnificent frescoes from the early Middle Ages with Byzantine-Romanesque fragments. Via Cluset 2 7504 Pontresina
The “Mineral baths & spa” in the historical heart of Samedan promise a relaxing spa experience of mystical beauty. The whole venue is a work of art combining colour, light and water, extending over five storeys; guests emerge on the roof to find magnificent views of the Engadin valley.
San Bastiaun 3
7503 Samedan
The Bernina railway line from St. Moritz to Tirano via the Valposchiavo enjoys World Heritage status thanks to the dramatic line layout as well as the daring construction techniques. The small red trains carry passengers past majestic mountains, idyllic lakes and sparkling glaciers as they twist through tunnels and over elegant bridges and viaducts on their journey down to the Valtellina. Especially spectacular: the world-famous circular viaduct in Brusio.
Via Brattas
7500 St. Moritz
