Berghotel Schatzalp

The building thus faced south, and all of the rooms on that side had large, sunny balconies for the patients. A high degree of sanitary comfort - the hotel had its own water supply - ensured the necessary hygiene. Floor heating, an elevator and a flat roof from which the melt water was drained into the building were a few of the newest technologies in what was at the time a luxury sanatorium. It was one of the first reinforced concrete structures in Switzerland. Architecturally, the building stands at the crossroads between Historicism and Modernism. The complex, with projecting sections in the middle and on the sides, shows the use of form and function. With their designs for the façade and the interior rooms, the architects tried to integrate the building into its surroundings by using regional motifs. The sun porches show patterns of the 'Swiss style', while the façades are covered with sgraffiti and colors associated with the Engadine. In almost willful contrast, there are Art Nouveau decorative elements throughout the house. At the end of the 1940s, when the first effective drugs against the tuberculosis bacteria came on the market, the sanatoriums for patients with pulmonary disease became superfluous. The sanatorium on Schatzalp was turned into a hotel in 1954. Large parts of the historic building were left untouched. Many historic rooms and bathrooms and the original elevator are still preserved today. The Schatzalp Hotel has been a member of Swiss Historic Hotels since 2007. In 2008, it was named Historic Hotel of the Year by Icomos.