< SWITZERLAND | VITZNAU: Park Hotel Vitznau

Slideshow Maker

Since the opening of Europe’s first cogwheel railway in 1871, the Vitznau-Rigi Railway, Vitznau had been attracting the emerging mass tourism market. In this golden age of tourism, hotelier Josef Anton Bon from Ragaz recognized the potential of creating a modern luxury hotel on the lake shore.

It was designed by Architect Karl Gottlieb Koller who had at the time already made a name for himself with projects such as the Bäderhotel in Bormio (Veltlin) and the Hotel Schweizerhof in St. Moritz, while some of his later works include the iconic Suvretta House Hotel in St. Moritz and the former Hotel Colombia in Genoa, today housing the University Library.

After nearly three years of construction work, the Park Hotel was opened in spring 1903, with the former Pension Pfyffer (built in 1867), integrated into the new hotel. Alongside prominent figures from business and industry, guests at the Park Hotel also numbered artists and actors from home and abroad.

In spring 2009, the hotel was taken over by POK Pühringer AG and after the extensive renovation process, the Park Hotel Vitznau has fully embraced the notion of ‘maintain the past, create the future’. State of the art technology has been integrated into the elegant and luxurious décor of this magnificent historical building, and nostalgic charm at its most beautiful has been combined with the highest level of comfort, fulfilling a visionary concept.

Additional literature: n/a