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GSTAADLIFE<br />

No. <strong>17</strong> 26 August 20<strong>05</strong> www.gstaadlife.ch<br />

Who are the Gemeinde?<br />

Guests, and even some residents, in Gstaad can<br />

often be overheard asking questions about the<br />

Gemeinde. This may be due to the fact that little<br />

is really said about the way that it works, as in<br />

such a small town most long-term residents<br />

either k<strong>no</strong>w or have served on it at some point<br />

in time. Or it may be because when protocol is<br />

made it is <strong>no</strong>t always made public, and if it is, it<br />

is usually in German. This is one of the reasons<br />

that we created <strong>GstaadLife</strong>, so <strong>no</strong>w its time to<br />

put our creation to its original use.<br />

To begin with, what exactly is the Gemeinde? How<br />

does it work? In Saanenland (located in Canton<br />

Bern) there are three subdivisions of independent<br />

municipalities (Gemeinden); Saanen, Gsteig and<br />

Lauenen. A Gemeinde is a clearly defined territorial<br />

authority which represents the residents<br />

of the area in which it has control. The capital<br />

of the district (which is called Amtsbezirk) is<br />

Saanen. Saanen is further divided into seven<br />

villages (Bäuerten); Abländschen, Bissen, Ebnit,<br />

Gruben, Grund, Gstaad, Kalberhöni, Saanen,<br />

Saanenmöser, Schönried and Turbach.<br />

The citizens of the Gemeinde vote for the representatives<br />

they wish to serve in the municipal<br />

IN THIS ISSUE<br />

Editorial by Alexandra de Scheel<br />

Giving what you’ve recieved<br />

PAGE 3<br />

News Around Gstaad<br />

Whats going on locally?<br />

PAGE 4<br />

Taki’s back!<br />

Read a<strong>no</strong>ther article from Taki.<br />

PAGE 5<br />

Our number one Gstaad hangout<br />

The ever amaying movie house<br />

PAGE 6<br />

Look into Gstaad<br />

A<strong>no</strong>ther story from the farm.<br />

PAGE 7<br />

Who governs this beautiful alpine land? How do they work? What are their plans?<br />

council (Gemeinderat). Each Gemeinde has its<br />

own constitution. Every four years, citizens<br />

vote for the members of the council and for its<br />

president. The right to serve in the assembly of<br />

the Gemeinde (Grosse Gemeinde) is available to<br />

any local Swiss citizen who has lived here for at<br />

least three months. This assembly is the highest<br />

authority at the local level, and they are responsible<br />

for ruling on all laws pertaining to the local<br />

community.<br />

If you would like to find out more information<br />

about who is currently serving on which committee<br />

or sub-committee of the Gemeinde then<br />

either go to www.saanen.ch or visit Gemeinde<br />

Building in Saanen and ask the receptionist.<br />

The most recent decisions made by the assembly<br />

of the Gemeinde occurred at the March meeting.<br />

These regarded various protocols. There were<br />

two main highlights of this event;<br />

1) Protocol point number five at the meeting<br />

concerned the new parking lot at the bottom<br />

of the Wasserngrat chairlift. In combination<br />

with the construction of the new fourseat<br />

chairlift, the Gemeinde gave permission<br />

for 185 parking places. 50 of which are<br />

at the bottom of the new lift and 135<br />

at the old bottom station in the Buemli.<br />

Now the plan is to increase the 50 parking<br />

spaces at the Bissen to 150 and keep a<strong>no</strong>ther<br />

35 at the old bottom station. There were<br />

two votes against this plan, but their<br />

problems with the project have since<br />

been solved. The voters have <strong>no</strong> further<br />

objection to this project and voted unanimously<br />

for it.<br />

2) Protocol point 8 was the credit for a maximum<br />

of CHF 2.7 million to secure the loan<br />

from the bank for the Saanen Hospital.<br />

This credit has a time limit until the 13 th<br />

December 2009. In the event that the Canton<br />

Bern does <strong>no</strong>t take over or a<strong>no</strong>ther way<br />

is found, there has to be a new solution<br />

for this credit <strong>no</strong> later than 6 months after<br />

the time limit.<br />

by Alexandra de Scheel<br />

1<br />

Photo made available


Your florist<br />

For all events!<br />

Promenade · 3780 Gstaad · Tel. 033 748 99 11<br />

www.wittwerblumen.ch · wittwer-fleurs@bluewin.ch<br />

GSTAAD – ROUGEMONT<br />

CHÂTEAU-D’OEX – GRUYERE<br />

CHALETS & APARTMENTS<br />

FOR SALE<br />

Compagnie Foncière SA<br />

1659 Rougemont<br />

Tél. +41 (0)26 925 10 00<br />

Fax. +41 (0)26 925 10 <strong>05</strong><br />

www.gstaadrealestate.com<br />

Müller · Gstaad


Spreading the wealth<br />

It’s <strong>no</strong> secret that many guests and residents<br />

of Gstaad have a certain amount of wealth.<br />

However, what is less obvious is how they<br />

choose to spend it. In many cases, it is quite<br />

humble, as a great deal spend their time and<br />

money on various worthy charitable causes.<br />

Some create their own, some prefer a handson<br />

approach, some graciously send financial<br />

aid to far off places in need, and some offer<br />

their help locally. The entire process of charity<br />

is one which I find particularly commendable<br />

and vital. If more people gave to those in need,<br />

there would be less people in need to give to.<br />

This seems evident e<strong>no</strong>ugh, and yet it is surprising<br />

how many people go through their<br />

whole lives hording and accumulating a fortune<br />

of their own, without giving a second<br />

thought to helping someone with less opportunity<br />

or possibility to do the same. There is <strong>no</strong><br />

reason to pass judgment on those who do <strong>no</strong>t<br />

give. However the fact that they are in the majority<br />

does emphasize the importance of those<br />

that do.<br />

It is often especiallyimportant<br />

to<br />

give back to<br />

the community<br />

in which you<br />

live. I wrote an<br />

editorial about<br />

local Gstaad<br />

charities last<br />

year to that effect.<br />

However, there are<br />

RELIABLE WEATHER<br />

Don’t forget to check page 2 of your<br />

Anzeiger von Saanen.<br />

MASTHEAD<br />

Editorial:<br />

Alexandra de Scheel alexandra.descheel@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Antoinette de Scheel antoinette.descheel@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Xavier Ferguson xavier.ferguson@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Frank Müller-Brand frank.mueller@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Marc Rome (Arts column) mr.rome@ukonline.co.uk<br />

Peter Kuntze-Schneider (Advertising)<br />

peter.kuntze@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Publishing, Conception, Printing:<br />

Müller Marketing & Druck AG, Gstaad<br />

Subscriptions:<br />

Tel. 033 748 88 74, Elsbeth Wyss<br />

Photo made available<br />

also many national Swiss charities which deserve<br />

a closer look. For example, the COMPASS Foundation<br />

is an independent and <strong>no</strong>n-profit organization<br />

that works to assist national governments<br />

and international organizations in areas of negotiations<br />

and mediation. It also provides help in<br />

training for problem-solving and negotiation<br />

with the aim of reaching peaceful solutions to<br />

combustible situations, and provides ideas and<br />

strategic concepts to help improve the eco<strong>no</strong>mic<br />

and social conditions of the underprivileged. A<strong>no</strong>ther<br />

example is Secours suisse d’hiver (Swiss<br />

Winter Help) which supports people in need all<br />

year round. It helps around 10,000 people<br />

through times of crisis through the provision of<br />

financial and material assistance. A<strong>no</strong>ther charitable<br />

angle would be the Swiss Solidarity Chain,<br />

which supports emergency operations for people<br />

affected by war or natural disasters through<br />

public donations. Or you could give to Vivamos<br />

Mejor, which is a private Swiss foundation without<br />

any political or religious affiliations. It is<br />

aimed at reducing poverty and ensuring longterm<br />

improvement in living conditions for the<br />

most disadvantaged social groups. On a very local<br />

level there is also the option of The Swiss Red<br />

Cross or Swiss Salvation Army; both follow same<br />

basic model as their counterparts in other countries,<br />

with their focus being national and internal.<br />

If you believe that there are causes abroad which<br />

need our attention more than local ones, Switzerland<br />

can still offer a charity to fit your belief.<br />

There are various relief organizations such as<br />

Caritas Suisse, EPER / HEKS or the Swiss<br />

Exhibition with a WOW effect<br />

Guy Le Baube generously donated one of<br />

his famous photographs to be auctioned<br />

off in favour of the “Fondation Lionel<br />

Perrier”, Charity Gala in Gstaad coming<br />

up in February 2006.<br />

EDITORIAL<br />

Catholic Lenten Fund. There are also more wellk<strong>no</strong>wn<br />

charities such as Médecins Sans Frontières<br />

(MSF), which is the largest independent<br />

humanitarian medical aid agency. Iamaneh is<br />

a<strong>no</strong>ther option; it is part of an international network<br />

which supports other organization’s projects<br />

aimed at helping countries where the health<br />

of women and children is affected by poverty<br />

and war. Medair, which provides humanitarian<br />

assistance to remote and inaccessible countries<br />

affected by war or natural disaster, is yet a<strong>no</strong>ther<br />

in an infinite list of opportunities for charity in<br />

Switzerland.<br />

No matter which area you want to get involved in<br />

or what kind of charity is your preference, there<br />

is <strong>no</strong>thing that Swiss organizations don’t cover. If<br />

charity is something that you find important<br />

and/or enjoyable then you may as well look into<br />

the national and international ones we have right<br />

here. For more information on those mentioned<br />

and more, visit http://www.swisspolitics.org/en/<br />

and click on “Humanitarian tradition”.<br />

by Alexandra de Scheel<br />

Send your feedback and comments to talkingpoint@gstaad.ch<br />

Last Friday, a vernissage of a special kind,<br />

produced by Marion de Picciotto, took place at<br />

the “Comptoir d’Enhaut chez Tchou” in Rougemont.<br />

French born, award winning photographer<br />

Guy Le Baube had the in-crowd over to see<br />

his exciting and phe<strong>no</strong>menal photographs.<br />

Glamorous, sexy and erotic, Le Baube’s work, all<br />

in black and white, has a touch of the sexiness<br />

of H.Newton and the playfulness J-H Lartigue.<br />

Highly esteemed for his editorial work in fashion<br />

magazines, his photography has been seen in<br />

Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Elle etc...<br />

The artist has chosen to unveillled for us his very<br />

private & behind the scene work, <strong>no</strong>w lives<br />

between New York & Miami, is thrilled to see the<br />

visitors being ever so interested in his bold<br />

and witty work. The exhibition and sale of the<br />

artwork in Rougemont will continue to the end of<br />

this month. Susy Wolf<br />

Photos by Art Explsion<br />

3


Photo by Anne Pfeiffer<br />

Get your cows!<br />

The 26 th Hornberg auction of livestock took place on 13 th<br />

August 20<strong>05</strong>. It was a colourful event and a great example of<br />

folklore being lived and <strong>no</strong>t just put on for the benefit of<br />

tourists. 41 cows and heifers, i.e. young cows that have had<br />

<strong>no</strong>t more than one calf, were for sale. The animals could be<br />

inspected in the makeshift cow shed prior to the auction. The<br />

quality of a cow is gauged by the points it has been awarded,<br />

e.g. for its body and udder, and by the quality and the amount<br />

of milk she or her mother have already produced. 4.500 to<br />

5.000 litres of milk is considered a satisfactory amount for<br />

a Simmental cow, though other breeds can give 6.000 to even<br />

9.000 litres. The prices the animals fetched varied between<br />

CHF 2.600 and 5.000.<br />

by Anne Pfeiffer-Brechbühl<br />

EXHIBITION<br />

Swiss Romantic<br />

Rare Books<br />

Old and Modern<br />

Master Prints<br />

Presentation<br />

«The development of the early<br />

Swiss Romantic art» by<br />

Mrs. B. Laube<br />

21 August 20<strong>05</strong>, 06.00 p.m.<br />

followed by a Cocktail<br />

07.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m.<br />

Exhibition<br />

22 - 28 August 20<strong>05</strong><br />

11.00 a.m. - 01.00 p.m.<br />

06.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m.<br />

August Laube<br />

Buch- und Kunstantiquariat<br />

Trittligasse 19 8001 Zürich<br />

Tel. +41 44 256 88 99 Fax. + 41 44<br />

The Gemeinde an<strong>no</strong>unces:<br />

The police of Bern wish to inform the Berner Oberland that the<br />

Pascal Richard bike tour will take place on 28th August. The 1,500<br />

participants are part professional and part hobby bikers. The short<br />

tour will reach Saanen at approximately 10 H and will continue via<br />

Schoenried to Saanenmöser, on to Zweisimmen, and then to Freiburg<br />

via Jaunpass. Participants taking the longer way will be coming<br />

the same day but via Col du Pillon and should reach Gsteig around<br />

11 H. Then the tour will continue via Gstaad-Saanen-Schoenried-<br />

Zweisimmen.<br />

The streets and roads are <strong>no</strong>t going to be closed during this event, but<br />

the drivers of vehicles in the area are asked to obey the orders of the organizers<br />

of the tour and the police.<br />

Polo: the results<br />

The first two to meet were teams Cadillac<br />

and Grand Hotel Bellevue. Following this,<br />

Cartier and Lufthansa Private Jet played later<br />

on. Cadillac assured it’s participation in<br />

the final once again with the winning score<br />

10:7,5. Cartier won with a score of 7:4,5. With<br />

these results, the teams playing the final on<br />

Sunday were the same as last year (Cadillac<br />

vs. Cartier), while Lufthansa went home with<br />

third place, and Grand Hotel Bellevue finished<br />

in last. Cadillac ended up winning the<br />

final with a score of 8:6,5 against Cartier.<br />

Provided by Polo<br />

CHURCH<br />

SERVICES<br />

Château-d’Oex:<br />

St. Peter’s English<br />

speaking Anglican<br />

Church<br />

Sunday<br />

28 August,<br />

<strong>17</strong>:30H<br />

Rev. Clive Atkinson,<br />

Evening Prayer


Taki – FYI<br />

Oh, how gloriously stable was life during the<br />

Cold War! Today we are alternately stimulated<br />

and frightened as we cling to the lid of<br />

Pandora’s Box. Bush and Blair call it a war,<br />

the French and Germans prefer to call it<br />

Islamist terrorism, and the Muslims like the<br />

word Intifada. Personally, my wish is for<br />

the Gstaad weather to improve because I’m<br />

about to lose my suntan, one which I acquired<br />

after a month on board my boat in the<br />

Greek islands. But seriously, remember how<br />

“peaceful” the world was during the Cold<br />

War? I covered the 1973 Yom Kippur war, a<br />

damn close run thing, which the Israelis<br />

won only because the Nixon administration<br />

poured aircraft and tanks into Israel replacing<br />

the devastating losses of material which the<br />

brilliantly executed Egyptian plan had inflicted<br />

on the Jewish state. During the second week<br />

I remember Henry Kissinger arriving in Tel<br />

Aviv and being mobbed by the Israelis.<br />

President Nixon, however, was the one who<br />

took the decision to go all out to save<br />

the Jews, and “to hell of what the Soviets<br />

might do.”<br />

Gstaad – Festival Tent<br />

London Symphony<br />

Orchestra with Conductor<br />

Colin Davis<br />

Fri 26.08.<strong>05</strong> 19:30 H<br />

033 748 83 33<br />

Gstaad – Festival Tent<br />

Carnaval des Animaux<br />

A spectacular fantasy of<br />

colour, sound and largescale<br />

animal puppetry to<br />

entertain children of 6 to<br />

18 years of age<br />

Sun 28.08.<strong>05</strong>, 16:30 H<br />

033 748 83 33<br />

Argentine Art –<br />

Bue<strong>no</strong>s Aires<br />

Museo de arte Moder<strong>no</strong><br />

Housed in a reconstructed<br />

tobacco storage building<br />

in the traditional San Telmo<br />

quarter. Contemporary<br />

Argentine art and works by<br />

outstanding international<br />

artists of the 20th century.<br />

Address: Av. San Juan<br />

350, Bue<strong>no</strong>s Aires.<br />

www.aamamba.org.ar<br />

Galerie wandelbar<br />

CULTURE<br />

Galerie wandelbar, Gstaad August 20<strong>05</strong><br />

This past Friday and Saturday saw the final<br />

vernissage for Galerie wandelbar. After over<br />

eight years of exhibitions, and the occasional<br />

high-spirited event, Harald Reichenbach and<br />

the team behind wandelbar have decided to<br />

move on to other ventures. As of October this<br />

year, a new gallerist will be renting three quarters<br />

of the existing gallery and the remaining<br />

quarter will become the new wandelbar Art International<br />

headquarters. The remit for this<br />

new organisation will be to bring high-profile<br />

international artists to Switzerland, mainly to<br />

Gstaad, and conversely to send Swiss or<br />

Switzerland-based artists to other parts of the<br />

world. Gstaad’s growing reputation as a place<br />

to view contemporary art strengthens the organisation’s<br />

belief that <strong>no</strong>w is the right time to<br />

make this move. Exhibitions will still take place<br />

but will be predominately linked to a visiting<br />

international artist or artist-in-residence.<br />

For further information call 0041 (0)33 744 22<br />

70 or email info@wandelbar-art.com<br />

contributions please contact: Marc Rome mr.rome@ukonline.co.uk<br />

Years later, while dining with Mr. Nixon in his<br />

New Jersey home, we discussed the Middle East.<br />

“Secretary Brezhnev put a lot of pressure on me<br />

to stop the airlift,” the ex-president said, “but I<br />

played crazy, talking like a hothead over the hot<br />

line, repeating time and again that this was our<br />

sphere of influence.” The trick worked, the Soviets<br />

stayed out, and the Israelis claimed a big victory.<br />

Actually, without the Americans, they<br />

would have had to use nuclear weapons, although<br />

I believe the Arab armies would have stopped<br />

after liberating the Golan Heights and the Sinai.<br />

Be that as it may, there is <strong>no</strong> question in my mind<br />

that the war against Islamist terrorism will <strong>no</strong>t be<br />

won until Uncle Sam is instrumental in brokering<br />

a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian<br />

problem. The US tilt towards Israel has been all<br />

too evident for years, and this imbalance fatally<br />

undermines Western claims of having virtue, justice,<br />

democracy, freedom and tolerance on their<br />

side. The Jewish vote in America is, of course,<br />

excessively one-sided, handcuffing Washington<br />

when it comes to playing honest broker. The Iraq<br />

War, needless to say, has made things far worse.<br />

Featured Hotels in Gstaad<br />

CULTURE<br />

Arabs are convinced that Uncle Sam and Johnny<br />

Bulldog are out to steal their oil under orders from<br />

the powerful Israeli Washington lobby.<br />

The trouble is that <strong>no</strong> American politician can survive<br />

while demanding an equitable stance where<br />

Israel is concerned. What is to be done? It’s an easy<br />

answer on paper. The Israelis have to realise that in<br />

the long run peace can only be achieved by giving<br />

the Palestinians the right to run their own country.<br />

And they are the only ones who can achieve that<br />

goal. For the moment, however, <strong>no</strong> Israeli politician<br />

can preach peace at all costs and survive.<br />

Post-war terrorism and insurgency was likely once<br />

America invaded Iraq, and the Israelis knew that<br />

from day one. Still, they strongly backed the war,<br />

hoping the mess in Iraq would lift the pressure<br />

from their own problems. The Gaza disengagement<br />

was a positive step. If Israel does <strong>no</strong>t use it as<br />

a ploy to build more illegal settlements in the West<br />

Bank, Israel wins the moral stakes. Let’s hope<br />

Sharon and his merry men see this. But it ain’t<br />

gonna be easy, that’s for sure. And I thought I had<br />

problems in Gstaad, the weather and my suntan.<br />

***** Palace Hotel Gstaad: La Grande Terrasse, Snack & Barbecue, Le Grill, The Lobby, Beauty&Spa,<br />

4 tennis courts, Olympic outdoor pool, and squash.<br />

Tel: 033 748 50 00, www.palace.ch<br />

***** Grand Hotel Bellevue, Gstaad: GaultMillau Hotel of Year 2003, 70 beds, 2,500 m 2 SPA, “Restaurant<br />

Prado”, “Restaurant “Coelho” with sun-terrace, “Bellevue-Bar”, “Porsche 911 Club”, “Car<strong>no</strong>tzet”.<br />

Tel: 033 748 00 00, www.bellevue-gstaad.ch<br />

***** Grand Hotel Park, Gstaad: 99 rooms, Spa/Fitness Centre, Restaurants: “Le Greenhouse”,<br />

“Die Pa<strong>no</strong>ramaterrasse”, “Le Grand Restaurant”, “Le Grill”, “Le Chalet Waldhuus”.<br />

Tel: 033 748 98 00, www.grandhotelpark.ch<br />

Friday 26 August until<br />

Thursday 2 September, 20<strong>05</strong><br />

by Taki Theodoracopulos<br />

Friday, 26 August<br />

19:30H, Tent-Festival INFO: 033 748 83 33<br />

Menuhin-Festival Eroica / London Symphony Orchestra<br />

20:45H, Folklore-Evening in Lauenen INFO: 033 765 30 12<br />

Entertainment and dance with the folklore-band<br />

Heinz Annen<br />

Saturday, 27 August<br />

19:30H, Tent-Festival INFO: 033 748 83 33<br />

Menuhin-Festival Hélène Grimaud / London Symphony Orchestra<br />

Sunday, 28 August<br />

09:00H, Fun-tournament INFO: 033 748 81 18<br />

Fun-tournament of Reit- and Fahrvereins<br />

Gstaad-Saanenland<br />

10:00H, La Pascal Richard INFO: 079 448 09 25<br />

8eme course populaire cycliste<br />

16:30H, Tent-Festival INFO: 033 748 83 33<br />

Menuhin-Festival – Carnaval des animaux<br />

Wednesday, 31 August<br />

09:00H, Alpine Dairy Tour INFO: 033 755 81 81<br />

Alpine cheese dairy tour with breakfast on the alp<br />

20:00H, Menuhin in Zweisimmen INFO: 033 748 83 38<br />

Kammermusikfest<br />

Thursday, 1 September<br />

20:00H, Improv in Gstaad INFO: 033 748 83 38<br />

Nocturne at 8<br />

events<br />

5


Photos made avaible<br />

INSIDE GSTAAD<br />

Going to the movies for 50 years<br />

The official Pink Panther World Premiere took place right here, and the streets of<br />

Gstaad were invaded by a sea of pink ribbons and bright stars.<br />

One staple in Gstaad has always been the old<br />

theatre house. It is one of everyone’s favorite<br />

hangouts, and probably will remain that way<br />

for decades to come. It is rare to see a unique<br />

movie theatre (almost an oxymoron) as most<br />

have the diversity of branches of Starbucks.<br />

But that is precisely the word to describe<br />

it; unique. Where else in the world can you<br />

still find the old-fashioned intermissions and<br />

comfortable seats coupled with the capacity to<br />

get the films in almost before they get wrapped?<br />

How on earth is it possible that a film, which has<br />

just had its premiere in America, hasn’t yet<br />

reached theatres in London, and hasn’t even been<br />

advertised yet in the rest of the world, manages to<br />

find its way to our little movie-house in Gstaad?<br />

How did this fusion of old-fashioned decorum<br />

and modern drive Come to be?<br />

It all began on 7 th August, fifty years ago. At this<br />

time the cinema was run by Leonie and Eugene<br />

Hagmann. Their movie house was one of last of<br />

its kind in Switzerland. Even before it was built,<br />

however, the Hagmann’s were the center of<br />

Gstaad’s fledgling movie business. Until this<br />

house was built in 1955, movies were shown<br />

either in Café Charlie, the Palace Hotel<br />

or Hotel Boo. With her old Chevrolet, Leonie<br />

transported the machinery needed from place to<br />

place and installed it.<br />

After the opening of ‘Ki<strong>no</strong> Gstaad’ they continued<br />

to move around with their production machinery<br />

and films for a<strong>no</strong>ther five years. Moritz Vonlanthen<br />

recalls that even in 1962, when he was only a<br />

teenager, he traveled with Mrs. Hagmann. He<br />

wanted to see all the movies and the under-age<br />

6<br />

censorship was strictly enforced by her and a<br />

policeman by the name of Luethi. Luethi never<br />

failed to show up for a production. Back then, if<br />

you were under the age of sixteen, you were <strong>no</strong>t<br />

allowed to enter the cinema. Mr. Vonlanthen<br />

quickly realized that there would only be one<br />

way to fill his appetite for film; to work for the<br />

Hagmanns. He took a job running the projector,<br />

and later went on to open an electric shop in Saanen<br />

(Vonlanthen) and was in charge of putting<br />

films into the projector for a<strong>no</strong>ther sixteen years.<br />

The time he remembers most fondly and vividly<br />

was the world premiere of the Pink Panther<br />

movie. That pink panther turned Gstaad into a<br />

pink happening. Moritz Vonlanthen recalls the<br />

event very well. MGM Studios wrapped the<br />

movie house in pink, the Berner Newspaper<br />

wrote on Friday 12 th September 1975, “Whole<br />

Gstaad was wrapped in 1,500 meters of pink<br />

paper, the street lights had pink light bulbs, the<br />

Palace Hotel was illuminated in pink and the<br />

pink foot <strong>print</strong>s on the zebra crossings long outlasted<br />

the yellow stripes. The Ki<strong>no</strong> itself was<br />

wrapped up like a great big pink present. The<br />

cost of this extravagant decoration was estimated<br />

at half a million Swiss francs, which was unheard<br />

of at that time. Among the many A-listers,<br />

Peter Sellers was <strong>no</strong>ticeably present.<br />

Back in those times the cinema was very popular<br />

with prominent actors and actresses. Regulars<br />

included Roman Polanski (who wanted to see<br />

his movie before it was released to the public),<br />

Liz Taylor and Gregory Peck. The price for a<br />

child’s ticket was CHF 1.70 and for adults<br />

CHF 2.90. As this was before the invention of the<br />

television, the movie house was always sold out.<br />

In the off-season locals enjoyed Swiss and German<br />

movies and as there were <strong>no</strong>t e<strong>no</strong>ugh chairs and<br />

<strong>no</strong> one was allowed to stand, many brought their<br />

own. In case the movie lasted longer than expected<br />

Leonie Hagman would call the station and tell<br />

the trains in both directions to wait.<br />

With the first TV antenna on the Hornberg, the<br />

movie house and its owners had to come up with<br />

new ideas. They decided to put a TV in the lobby<br />

to show the latest news, also a Variete (theater<br />

players) was always active during the intermission.<br />

The Ki<strong>no</strong> Gstaad was always k<strong>no</strong>wn for showing<br />

films sooner than anywhere else. This is due to<br />

the work of Max Gass. When Eugene Hagmann<br />

died 1976 at 80 years old it got very tough for<br />

Leonie Hagmann, who was living above the theater,<br />

to take care of all the contracts with various<br />

film productions. As a result, she eventually<br />

leased it to Max Gass, who has <strong>no</strong>w run it for a<br />

quarter century. It was always a mystery to<br />

everyone how Mr. Gass had managed to get the<br />

movies to Gstaad so quickly; you just read about<br />

their premieres in the States and before you<br />

knew it they were in Gstaad. By pure coincidence<br />

he ended up in Gstaad in 1980, and he was then<br />

the owner of various movie houses. He sat next<br />

to Mrs. Hagmann and after they started talking<br />

he became interested in taking over the Gstaad<br />

movie house. According to him it is much easier<br />

to get new movies <strong>no</strong>w-a-days, since there are<br />

many more copies of movies made available for<br />

distribution. Also, the film companies are very<br />

interested to get them distributed fast as they are<br />

put on DVD’s after a short period. According to<br />

Max Gass, his prime objective is to bring movies<br />

to Gstaad as fast as possible. And he has certainly<br />

been doing a fantastic job at that.<br />

by Alexandra de Scheel<br />

Send your feedback and comments to talkingpoint@gstaad.ch


Photos by Netti de Scheel<br />

At Dominik’s farm<br />

Dominik Matti.<br />

The owner of the<br />

farm, maker of the<br />

cheese, and your<br />

host should you<br />

choose a<strong>no</strong>ther<br />

real Swiss excursion<br />

to the farm.<br />

AROUND GSTAAD<br />

The «Obere Bodme» hut treats visitors to a new view of Gstaad. 24 hours in here and out comes cheese.<br />

For the past ten years, Dominik Matti has<br />

spent his summer days up in the farm with his<br />

cows. This year, he has been helped by Doris<br />

Vantenberghe from France and Valerie<br />

Walthert from New York in the lower hut called<br />

“Untere Bodme” from 10th July until 3rd August.<br />

Dominik is responsible for the care of 30 cows.<br />

He and his assistants produce cheese. Not just<br />

any cheese; the famous Hobelkaese. This is made<br />

in the form of a wheel and is pressed for twentyfour<br />

hours. After this procedure it is bathed in<br />

salt water for a<strong>no</strong>ther twenty-four hours. After this<br />

process, he stores the final product in the lower hut.<br />

On 3 rd August, Dominik moves to the higher hut<br />

which is called “Obere Bodme”. This is where<br />

Domink’s grandfather has already been taking<br />

care of the cows. In the winter, Dominik, who<br />

«Obere Bodme» hut, where<br />

Dominik is from10. Juy – 3. August.<br />

speaks English and French, transforms into a<br />

skiing instructor. But all summer long he will be<br />

up in the mountains tending to his cows and<br />

dairy creations.<br />

If you would like to go and visit Dominik, be sure<br />

to put on some walking shoes, take the Wispile<br />

Gondola to middle station, and then follow the<br />

sign to the Wiispile Restaurant. You will first<br />

pass the lower hut and then after an approximate<br />

thirty minute walk you will arrive at Dominik’s<br />

hut. Don’t be scared of the little barking dog, as<br />

it’s very friendly.<br />

In case you would prefer to walk down, you can<br />

take the gondola to the top, and once you exit<br />

take a left turn and follow the path until it brings<br />

you to the hut in approximately 10 minutes.<br />

You would be well advised to call Dominik a day<br />

ahead so that he can prepare his cheese, some<br />

local dry meat or whatever cold cut you wish.<br />

Please also let him k<strong>no</strong>w what your drinking<br />

wishes are. You won’t regret your excursion as<br />

the view is breathtaking; in front lies Gstaad, on<br />

the left you can see the Eggli, on the right you<br />

can see the Wildhorn and Lauenen.<br />

by ADS<br />

Send your feedback and comments to talkingpoint@gstaad.ch<br />

The cheese maker or more acurately the<br />

«Käsekessi».<br />

«Untere Bodme» hut, <strong>no</strong>t too bad either.<br />

INFORMATION<br />

Dominik Matti’s telephone number is:<br />

079 406 97 39<br />

Proudly making the finest Swiss cheese.<br />

7


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