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WEGGIS, HOTEL ALBANA The story of this house (This information has been taken from the Inventory of Hotel and Tourist buildings in the County of Lucerne, IHT, and has been compiled by Dr. Roland Flückiger-Seiler, architectural historian, Berne, at the request of the Heritage Protection Society of Lucerne County) Building History: 1878/80 or 1881: Construction of the Pension Belvédère in Italian Neo-Renaissance style by Karl Gottlieb Köhler (1839-1907) from Radebeul nr. Dresden. Mr. Köhler was the owner of a brewery and a copper factory in Freiberg/Saxony. (Contemporary photographs show the Pension with the name "Pension Belvédère" on the roof). To-day, this building has been taken over by the Weggis Village Council. In re-building, the house has lost most of its original architectural features. 1884: Construction of the "Villa Köhler" by Karl Gottlieb Köhler. This was romantic brick and wooden architecture with a varied roof decoration and a dominating corner tower. (Contemporary photographs show a gable with the inscription: "Pension"). To-day this is a private house with apartments and a doctor's practice. It, too, has completely lost its original architectural charm. 1890 oder 1905: Sale of the two Köhler properties to Gustav Brand, retired ships' captain from Hannover. In the documents there is reference to the "Villa Belvédère , a wooden building constructed as a Pension (1878/1880) and the "Villa Köhler" 1919 (?) After the death of Gustav Brand (1918), both properties (the "Villa Belvédère" with two additional buildings and the "Villa Köhler") were sold to the Police Community in Weggis for the sum of Sfrs. 450'000.- (1893-1895) Construction of the (second) "Pension Villa Köhler" (or "Hotel Köhler") by Karl Gottlieb Köhler . This building was modelled on the "Spitzhaus" in Köhler's native Radebeul. 1898 (1899) Construction of the Dépendance (also called the "Villa Anna"). This building on the east side, called "Chalet", was constructed where once a shed stood. Later it was connected to the main building by a "Passarelle". Two smaller constructions are also mentioned at this time - a wooden garden shed and an ice-house. Before 1910 Construction of the "Villa Helena" on the west side of the main hotel building. Connected to the hotel by a covered passage. 24th October, 1910: After Karl Gottlieb Köhler died (1907) , Carl Moritz Wolf (1863 - 1927) and his friend Eugen Adam (Hotel proprietor in Gérardmer in the Alsace) bought the "Pension Villa Köhler" at the auction. The partners took it over, helped by Mrs. Marianne Wolf-Fischer and her sister, Ida Fischer. 1911: The name "Pension Villa Köhler" was changed to "Hotel Albana" . Carl Wolf had been Director of the "Hotel Edelweiss" in Sils-Maria, Oberengadin 1910. During his time there, he loved the changing scenario over the two peaks, Piz Albana and Piz Julier. 1911/12: Lift and central heating installed in the hotel. Panorama windows installed in the veranda. An extra floor is added to the Dépendance (18 additional rooms) and a corridor connecting it to the main building. 1912: Eugen Adam, almost blind, leaves the partnership and returns to Alsace. 1913/1914: Addition made to the veranda, renovation of the Dépendance , tower added. Additions made to the main building. 1919: Opening of the Protestant Church in Weggis (one of the initiators was Carl Wolf). Opening of the first Lido in Switzerland where mixed bathing was permitted. Ca: 1920 The Hotel now consists of a main building and two villas, the "Villa Anna" (also known as the "Dépendance"), and the "Villa Helena" (later known as the "Chalet"). 1925 - 1929: Installation of running water in all hotel rooms. 1927: After the death of Carl Moritz Wolf-Fischer, the Hotel ALBANA is taken over by his son Karl Wolf-Hofmann (1898-1952) and his wife, Josefine (+ 1974), helped by Mrs. Wolf's sister, Theres Hofmann (+1976 ). A new Mercedes-Benz bus (14 seats) is now in use as hotel-taxi. 1935: Two garages are built below the hotel at road level. 1940: The paintwork in the Mirror Room, the Murano-Salon and the Petit-Salon is freshened up by master-painter Georg Keller, Weggis 1946: Dépendance re-built. Flat roof and towers removed, new sloping roof installed. 1947: The first private bathrooms are installed - nos. 7 and 17. 1951: The Hotel ALBANA is taken over by Karl Wolf's son, Hans-Peter Wolf (1923 - 1986). February 1952: marriage to Una Brennan in Dublin, Ireland. 1951/1952: The PANORAMA-Terrace (former veranda) becomes the PANORAMA-Retaurant for hotel guests and casual visitors. Additionally, electric heating is installed. 1956: Renovation 3rd floor in main building. Former "lackey" rooms are converted into bathrooms The "Billiard-Salon" (with its original MORGENTAL Carambole-table) and the "Music-Salon" are joined together as the Murano-Salon. The Murano chandelier (1880 ) is re-hung in the centre of the room. 1957 - 1967: Installation of 26 private bathrooms. 1961/1962: At the insistence of the Lucerne Fire Insurance Company, the big tower on the roof of the main building was removed. A new roof-terrace was constructed. The lift was altered to include the 4th floor. The main building was insulated by covering up the original old façade. Architect-Office: Fritz Schilliger, Weggis/Hertenstein. 1966/67: Entrance hall and reception refurbished. 1969/1970: The addition of the PANORAMA-Room (south-east corner) and a small house bar. Still-room renovation. The two individual buildings (main building and annexe) are joined together by a middle section. Four new double rooms are built on. New fire-proof staircase in the Dépendance. Architect-Office: Fritz Schilliger Architect: Nicola Famos-Schilliger 1976: Renovation of private house "Chalet". Flat roof replaced by sloping roof. Connecting bridge to hotel originally south, removed to the north side of house. Architect-Office: Fritz Schilliger 1977: PANORAMA-Restaurant changed to a rustical Restaurant called "Locanda". Addition of "Hertenstein Corner" on the west side. 1980/81: Addition of Conference room "Park I" on the north side of the main building, together with four new double rooms, 23, 24, 40, 41. Architect: Nicola Famos-Schilliger New fire-protection doors in main staircase. "Panzer glass" stipulated by Lucerne Fire Insurance Company. 1984: Garden newly designed and 400 rose-trees set in the avenue leading to the hotel. This avenue now links up with the road passing by the Old Peoples' Home, "Hofmatt". 1986: Death of Hans-Peter Wolf-Brennan (1923 - 1986). The hotel continues, run by his wife Una Wolf-Brennan and the ALBANA-team. 1990: Introduction of a working year covering 11 months - Mid-January until beginning of December. (Steady seminar market in the early part of the season and in late autumn). 1991: Roof of main building removed and another floor added. Ten new double rooms in a wonderful situation and an new administration office. 1991/1992: Renovation of Murano Salon and Panorama-Room. 1992/1993: Total renovation of the kitchen and store-rooms. 1993: The JAZZ-Bar is built on the site of the original old wine-cellar. Colour combinations and motifs are taken from Henri Matisse's book "Hommage à Jazz". The original veranda is restored and refurbished. 1993/1994: Construction of the second Conference room "Park II" on the roof of the existing Conference room. Construction of Sauna and Fitness rooms. 1994: Renovation and refurbishment of the PANORAMA Room. Renovation of the staircase in the main building. The painted ceiling in the MIRROR-Room is cleaned, as also the frieze in the Petit Salon. (Restoration planned by Mr. Otto Dürmüller, Horw, work carried out by Mr. Walter Greter, Udligenswil ). The original old wall and balustrade bordering the road is authentically restored with the same stone and in the same style. Work carried out by Vittorio Tampini/Hess & Co. Weggis
1995: The Hotel ALBANA celebrates 100 years Total authentic renovation of the PANORAMA-Restaurant. The rustic decoration (1977) is removed. New ceiling, new parquet floor (cherrywood and maple). The original cast-iron pillars are restored, now forming part of the décor. A new Murano chandelier called "Rezzonico Gigante", custom-made in Venice, now hangs in the PANORAMA-Restaurant. 1996: Authentic restoration of the French bronze-gilt chandeliers in the Mirror Room and the Petit Salon. A new Murano chandelier - "Pastorale" - is hung in the PANORAMA-Room. 1997: The old neon light-sign "ALBANA" (1962) on the roof terrace is replaced by a new one - Murano blue. The Restaurant chairs (Horgan/Glarus 1965/1969) are restored and upholstered. 1998: The foundation of the lake-side house ("Seehüsli") is renewed. 2000: Mr. Köhler's grand-daughter, Ms. Susi Christian-Willi presents a wonderful "Paris clock" to the Hotel. This stood originally in the Mirror-Room in 1895. Restoration of the entrance hall, reception and stair-case. Façade re-painted. Restoration of the MURANO Salon, two original Venetian etchings hung. The "Classico" chandelier (1880) is restored in Venice and re-hung. The matching blackamoor candelabras are also restored in Murano. 2002: Renovation of the Petit Salon. 2003: Co-operation with the Heritage Protection Society in Lucerne, Mr. Roger Strub and Dr. Georg Carlen. March 2004: Probe work carried out on the façade by the experts Fr. Gertrud Fehringer, Bätterkinden and Heinz Schwarz, Kriens. Their findings are now the foundation for the intensive research work undertaken by Dr. Roland Flückiger, Berne. 2005: The historical function-rooms, the main stair-case, the original Mirror-Room (1895) and all the original building substance is now under Heritage Protection (Denkmalschutz) of the County of Lucerne. OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE: Our greatest wish is to carry out an authentic restoration of the "Villa Köhler" bringing it back to its former outward appearance. In this way, we could become members of the Swiss Historic Hotels. (www.swiss-historic-hotels.com and www.historichotelsofeurope.com)
The following institutions have assured us of their support: Heritage Protection Society of the County of Lucerne (Denkmalschutz) ICOMOS Switzerland Support has also been assured by the City of Dresden Heritage Society. The Hotel ALBANA is the only hotel in Switzerland built by an entrepreneur from Dresden. Research work is being carried out in Dresden by Dr. V. Fischer.
Actual description: Towards the end of the 19th century the Hotel ALBANA was constructed in an elevated position overlooking Lake Lucerne, between upper and lower Weggis. This building was carried out at the initiative of Mr. Carl Gottlieb Köhler (1839 - 1907) an entrepreneur from Saxony, who owned a beer-brewery and a copper-factory in Freiberg, Saxony and therefore belonged to the well-off upper class of that time. Around 1880, Mr. Köhler had already bought a very big land property called "Thalacher" and had constructed several buildings. Approximately 1880 the "Pension Belvédère" was built in Italian Neorenaissance style with an asymmetrically composed building substance. There is no record of the exact year when this once-in-a-lifetime building in the Weggis architectural landscape was constructed, nor is the architect's name mentioned. A little later, in the year 1884, the successful hotelier built a further Pension to the east side of his first property. This building was constructed in romantic framework (studding) and brickwork style with a roof landscape and a dominating corner tower. Contemporary photo- graphs in the Weggis Council Office show the sign "Pension Belvédère" clearly on the roof of this Neorenaissance building as also the sign "Pension" at the eastern gable-end of the newer building.
In 1905, Mr. Köhler sold this property to the former sea-captain, Mr. Gustav Brand from Hannover. The buildings in question were referred to as the wooden framework (studding) and brick building "Belvédère" and a stonework building, "Villa Köhler". It would seem that the dining-room in the "Belvédère" was used by the guests who had accommodation in the "Villa Köhler". Mr. Brand died in 1918 and his estate (including a third building - not specified) was bought by the Police Community of Weggis.
The first of Mr. Köhler's three buildings underwent a massive "renovation" in the early 1990s. Tragically, during this "renovation", the whole building lost all its architectural significance and was robbed of its historical elements. Today the building is used as the Council House. The former "Villa Köhler" was run as an hotel from 1949 until 1974 and called "Hotel Belvèdère". In 1978 this property was also radically re-built and also robbed of all the worthwhile architectural elements. It is now an apartment-house with a doctor's practice on the ground floor.
In 1895 Mr. Köhler constructed a new "Pension Villa Köhler" in a magnificent position overlooking the lake and mountains of Central Switzerland. This new hotel was aimed at an international clientèle. He modelled it on the "Spitzhaus" in his native Radebeul near Dresden. This was a building with a daring, swinging roof-form, situated on the summit of a sloping vineyard. This Electoral Summer-House, dating back to 1749, welcomed many, many members of the European nobility who were invited to festive functions there in the 19th century.
Mr. Köhler furnished his new hotel in Weggis with many treasures, including valuable old furniture and many beautiful old Meissen stoves which he brought to Switzerland from Dresden. Many of the existing trees in the park also came from Saxony.
Before the turn of the century, Mr. Köhler built on a Dépendance - later called the "Villa Anna". At the beginning of the 20th century, this ambitious hotelier also owned an hotel in Lugano - "Köhlers Hotel Garni". This hotel is mentioned in the Baedeker guide 1903. By 1910, the "Villa Helena", on the west side of the hotel had been added; according to an hotel prospectus of that time, this building was connected to the main edifice by a covered passage.
Mr. Carl Moritz Wolf and Mr. Eugen Adam (hotel proprietor in Gérardmer, Alsace) bought the hotel when it was auctioned in 1910. In 1911, they changed the name to "Hotel Albana" The new owners commenced a massive building programme; by 1913, a lift and central heating had been installed and the open veranda had been glassed in with panorama windows. A new story had been added to the Dépendance (18 new bedrooms), and the two buildings were joined together by a Passarelle.
By 1920 the Hotel Albana consisted of a main building and two villas, the "Villa Anna" (Dépendance) and the "Villa Helena" (later called the Chalet). In the late 20s, running hot and cold water was installed in all the hotel rooms; this was extremely progressive at that time. In 1927 the Hotel ALBANA had a new Mercedes-Benz bus (14 seats) as hotel- taxi. In 1935, two private garages were built below the hotel, as already then, guests were coming with their private cars.
After WW II a general move began to simplify the old, original hotel façades. This idea of Hotel reconstruction was encouraged by State subventions, Already in the winter of 1946 a new sloping roof on the Dépendance replaced the old flat roof with the two towers. In 1956, the third floor of the main building was enlarged, and by 1967, 26 new bathrooms had been installed. The most marked transformation- in actual fact a disfiguration- happened under the direction of Mr. Fritz Schilliger. Yielding to the pressure from the Fire Insurance of the County of Lucerne, the original corner tower was removed and a new roof with a roof-terrace replaced it. At the same time, the original old façade of wooden framework (studding) and brickwork was covered over completely.
1969/1970: the narrow Passarelle between the main building and the Dépendance is built out to form a middle section, joining both buildings. New rooms in this section and a new stair- case in the Dépendance. 1976: The Chalet is re-constructed. The old flat roof is replaced by a sloping roof. 1977: Following the trend of the times, the PANORAMA-Restaurant is refurbished in rustical style. 1980: Conference Room Park I is constructed. This is the first building on the north façade of the hotel, overlooking the park. 1984: Garden newly designed and 400 new rose-trees planted in the avenue, which now links up to the road leading past the Old Peoples' Home. 1993/1994: The long-drawn out building phase was completed with the addition of Conference Room Park II (built over Conference Room Park I) and a Sauna and Fitness facility on the 3rd floor in the main building. In the mid-ninties, a new preservation strategy commenced; this was based on the authentic renovation and restoration of the existing architectural treasures. In this new phase, only professional restoration work took place and this was carried out by experts. Thus finished the "making and mending" stages that had continued over many years.
The culmination of this new strategy was the re-building programme 1994/1995 which took into consideration the existing architectural and historical treasures in the interior of the hotel. This programme carried out an authentic restoration of the Petit Salon, the original staircase in the main building , as also the PANORAMA-Restaurant. Here, the rustic décor dating back to 1977 was removed, a new ceiling was installed and a beautiful new parquet floor. At the same time, a new Murano Chandelier "Pastorale" was hung in the PANORAMA-Room and in 2000, the old Murano "Classico" Chandelier (1880) dating back to Mr. Köhler's time (and beyond!) was restored by experts in Murano, and re-hung in the MURANO-Salon, as also two original Venetian stone-etchings.
Evaluation/appreciation: This imposing hotel and its lay-out is situated in a mature park in a privileged situation between the upper and lower village of Weggis , with a wide, wonderful view of lake Lucerne. Because of its elevated position, the hotel complex is dominant in the landscape. The hotel was built in two stages 1895 and 1898 and thus belongs to the rare Swiss hotels with several buildings. Its present outer appearance, which looks like a building complex, certainly gives no idea of the original, valuable building substance existing within. The greatest architectural treasures are found in the main building. Here we find building elements and furniture from the original hotel. The most exceptional room is without doubt the Mirror Room, situated in the centre of the original main building, with a U-form groundplan. Many elements of the historical furnishings go back to the time when the house was built. Particularly valuable is the Neorenaissance wainscoting, the two-tone parquet floor, the Baroque-style ceiling with illusory paintings, the original Meissen stove (the last in the house!), the gilded bronze chandeliers, the Louis XVI furniture as well as the many mirrors; if you remain in this magnificient room for a while, you experience the splendour of the Belle Epoche. The Petit Salon, formerly towards the south-east, originally had a Meissen stove, identical to that still standing in the MIRROR-Room. Unfortunately, this was removed in 1969. The present day Petit Salon dates back to the restoration 1994/1995. In 1869/1970, the PANORAMA-Room, with its big, modern aluminium-framed windows, south-east, was built on. Originally there was a terrace and a staircase on the east side. The MURANO-Salon on the west side of the building was originally one big reading-room also with a Meissen stove. At some stage, this room was divided into two - a billiard room and a music-salon. 1956 the room was restored to its original size and the MURANO "Classico" chandelier (1880) was hung in the centre. In the year 2000, this chandelier was authentically restored in Venice, together with the two blackamoors and their candelabras. Two original stone-etchings from Venice were hung. In 1951/1952, the long, covered terrace towards the south had been turned into the Restaurant for our guests. A parquet floor replaced the original flagged floor and an additional electric heating system had been installed. 1975 the "Hertenstein Corner" was added to the west side of the terrace and 1977, the décor was changed to a rustical style, in keeping with the trend of the times. 1994/1995 the authentic restoration was carried out by professional craftsmen; the ceiling and original cast-iron pillars were revealed, and a new parquet floor (cherrywood and maple) was laid. Besides the public rooms which we have described in detail, the staircase in the main building belongs to the extremely valuable architectural treasures. This is the original staircase from year 1895, a cast-iron construction with exuberantly decorated banister and wooden hand-rail. The stairs wind up over landings, which are supported by steel girders. In the stair- well, there is a wide area free. The parquet floors still remaining in the main building have a very special value. Here you find chequered designs and fish-bone patterns carried out in various, intricate ways, and all in an extraordinarily high work quality. Almost unknown elsewhere are the dark and light parquet squares designing a fish-bone pattern. These are acknowledged as being unique. |
Wonderful magic hotel brochure from the 1920s |
About the historic Hotel Albana |
