THE CHALET
«Belle époque»
In the Belle Époque chalet, it's just like in the days of the emperor. From the fox blanket to the antique tiled stoves to the English bathtubs and the five-star room service, everything fits.
Hundred years ago, the Dutch conductor Willem Menglberg, a prominent figure within the musical avant-garde of the 20th century, undertook a hike from his holiday resort of Scuol-Tarasp towards the Fimber Pass with the destination of Ischgl in Paznaun. In the process, he passes by Zuort and is enthralled by this mystical place. He had previously visited his revered and famous friend Gustav Mahler in his South Tyrolean chalet in Pustertal. He also wishes for something like this! Zuort is to become his summer residence.
A place where enjoyment and joie de vivre can be lived in a primitive way, and at a culturally and geographically high level. And this used to mean: wine, women and song and good cigars, and all in the open air at 1711 metres above sea level.
No sooner said than done. He designs a chalet, which is built and richly decorated by the local Lanfranchi family and Swiss carvers, some of them locals. It is completed in its first version in 1911. In 1920, he buys the farm and the farmland from the Frigg family. Their nephew Clot Corradin is the tenant farmer for more than ten years and is responsible for the construction. He becomes an artisan himself, under the guidance of the local carver Häfner from Strada and Lucerne's Furrer.
The chalet features original furniture from a hundred years ago, bathrooms with modern comforts, but also historic washbasins in the rooms.