The Historic Traveller Magazine no.1

WHERE TO STAY
STAGE 5
Grimselsee
Alpinhotel Grimsel Hospiz
Finally, turn away from these two lakes
and drive along the winding mountain
road to Lake Grimsel. Artificially created
by dam to provide hydroelectricity, the
lake lies in a very different landscape - a
sparse region, with granite rocks and a
narrowing route that climbs through the
canyons.
Stop off at Guttannen, the ‘crystal village’
to admire an array of crystals in the
Prospector’s Museum before continuing
to your final charming hotel.
The Alpinhotel Grimsel Hospiz. It’s incredible
to think that mule traders would traverse
these dizzying mountain paths, carrying
Swiss cheese and trading with Piedmontese
traders, bringing wine, rice, corn and leather.
They often sealed their deals at the old
hospiz, which is now flooded by the reservoir
lake.
The new hospiz was built in 1932 and has
always been gratifyingly cosy: the electricity
generated by the lake meant the hotel was
the first electrically heated hotel in Europe.
That’s not to say that the place is reserved
for comfort-lovers. A world-class mountain
can be glimpsed from every hotel window
and, when you step outside, there are hiking
paths galore.
Those with a strong head for heights can
even take a journey on the Gelmer Funicular
- the steepest found in Europe - or glide in
a gondola above the Gadmen Valley by way
of the Trift aerial cable car. The views are
absolutely worth overcoming any dizzy spells
for. www.hhe.travel/grimsel
HistoricHotelsofEurope.com | The Historic Traveller 45