History
The Wengneralp Railway, which opened in 1893, gave Wengen, which was already a well-known tourist spot, a new center. In the days before the railway, the main route to Kleine Scheidegg bypassed today's town, after a steep climb from Lauterbrunnen. The first Wengen hotels were thus some distance from the newly opened railway station.
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The Falken is one of the many hotels which opened near the station immediately upon the railway's completion. The hotel, opened in 1895, sits on the cusp of a hill above the station offering its guests an ideal view of the Jungfrau massif. The new hotel was successful right from the start, which encouraged the young Adolf von Allmen to expand it. In 1903, the Chalet Gentiana was added next to the main building, and in 1908, the main building was expanded. To match the annex, it was given a new saddleback roof with cross gables and decorations in the Swiss chalet style. By 1908, the Falken offered its guests a level of comfort in line with the most up-to-date hotels of that time, with electric lights, central heating and an elevator. Following the death of Adolf von Allmen in 1932, the hotel was managed for decades by the legendary Maria von Allmen-Huggler along with her daughter Hedy and Hedy's step-sister Elsa Cova-Häsler. The latter's daughter, who has now been in charge for a decade, has succeeded in renovating the hotel in line with preservation criteria. With its historic public rooms, the dining room in its original 1908 condition and the stylishly furnished guest rooms, the hotel is one of the few examples of the Golden Age of tourism in which the Belle Époque atmosphere has largely been preserved. The restored veranda and intact front garden receive the guests with the rare charm of a historic mountain hotel. The Falken has been a member of Swiss Historic Hotels since 2007.
