Kulm Country Club · Kulm Hotel St. Moritz

a classic reborn

The Eispavillon in Kulm Park shines in new splendour since the reopening for the 2017 World Ski Championships in St. Moritz. The Eispavillon is especially valued for its historical role in the Olympic Winter Games held here in 1928 and 1948. The renovation and expansion work on the 110-year-old building is being expertly completed under the direction of the English architect Lord Norman Foster.

Further information regarding menu and opening hours of the Kulm Country Club can be found here.

The newly restored Kulm Country Club

The Kulm Country Club will be home to a stylish new restaurant on the first floor with a sun terrace, and will feature touring exhibitions on the theme of the Olympic games, sports and other topics of local and contemporary interest. The ground floor will house a shop designed according to local architectural traditions and a room for skate hire for the adjoining natural ice rink in the Kulm Park.

how it all began

Today, freshly sharpened skate blades clatter over the wooden floor of the Kulm Country Club, leaving long furrowed marks on the floor of this historic club building. At this spot on 11 February 1928, top athletes and celebrities gathered, including the silent film legend Charlie Chaplin and US President Calvin Coolidge. They discussed the first visit of a serving US president to Cuba while watching the tumult in front of the pavilion from the finely carved arched windows. These beautifully carved windows are still as attractive today following the recent renovations to this architectural gem. “Wherever possible, we’ve preserved the original Art Deco and wood. Where necessary, we had the windows and doors custom-built, true to the original”, explains architect Andy Küchel.

The intoxicating effect of the Olympic Winter Games

One floor down, on the ground floor, is the heart of the Kulm Country Club. On that Saturday in1928, guests, locals, and athletes stomped through the large circular arch in the entrance area with their soaked shoes, pushing up the wooden steps of the imposing staircase. Architect Rolf Som considers this his personal highlight: "Since the renovation, the original entrance area once again exudes the same lively excitement as it did almost 90 years ago during the first Olympic Winter Games."

The Golden Twenties

The 1928 Winter Games were the first official Olympic Winter Games. Visitors were proud to arrive in in St. Moritz driving their new Bugatti Royale or Mercedes-Benz Type S: the superlative hand-built vehicles of the 1920s. When it came to clothes, the emphasis was also on luxury. Inspired by fashion designer Coco Chanel, the ladies confidently strolled along by the Kulm ice pavilion wearing loose silk dresses embellished with rhinestones, sequins, and lace, all hidden under thick fur coats.
Long pearl necklaces and headdresses that were richly decorated with feathers and precious stones, topped off the extravagant appearance. This new confidence and sense of emancipation among the women was also reflected in their androgynous hairstyles such as the bob or finger waves. And as the men puffed cigars, the ladies smoked their cigarettes.

Meeting place ice rink

The Kulm Country Club was the headquarters of the figure skaters during the 1928 and 1948 Olympic Games. Skating to the song “Corinne, Corrine”, the1928 Bo Carter US hit or accompanied by a small orchestras, the athletes practiced on the ice rink in front of today's heritage building. The ice rink soon became a landmark meeting point both for guests and locals in St. Moritz. Those who did not dare to put on ice skates watched the Norwegian figure skaters Sonja Henie and Gillis Grafström – the social highlight at the winter sports resort that year.