Other Innovations

Cultural life in St. Moritz also got its start thanks to Johannes Badrutt. Equally important throughout the years was the sense of social occasion that the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz could offer. Aristocrats and figures from business, politics and the arts would come to this majestic hotel from all around Europe to participate in summer and winter sports, masked balls, and to experience the marvels of the magic lantern.

As a trained craftsman, Badrutt was fascinated by every technical achievement. So it happened that in 1878 the first electric arc lamps in Switzerland were lit in the dining room of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz. Further novelties like the telephone, water closets, hydraulic lifts and hot-air heating were also brought to St. Moritz by this visionary hotel pioneer. To be sure, he was considered in certain conservative circles as too avant-garde, but his intelligence and willpower were generally admired.

Since the end of the 19th century, the family patriarch assured its splendour by further expanding and restoring the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz. The present owner, a finance company under the aegis of the Greek family Niarchos, is continuing the cultural heritage with great care, commitment and foresight. Quite how it would impress the hotel pioneer Johannes Badrutt.

Detailed history Kulm Hotel St. Moritz. 1856 - 2006 (PDF, 1 MB)