NO TOURISM WITHOUT MOUNTAINS. NO HOTEL WITHOUT TOURISM. Development of Tourism in Pontresina

from Walther Giazetta, Summer 2023 (engl.)

in Brief

Life in the mountains, especially in winter, was characterised by hunger, hardship and darkness. The mountains had something foreboding about them and the idea of scaling the eerie heights where demons and spirits hungered after human lives never occurred to anyone who lived in the Alps. As a result, it was only towards the end of the 18th century that the high mountains were conquered by wealthy French and English men, who had already explored all the continents. Although mountaineering was initially called “conquest of the useless” by the locals, it soon led to an unexpected economic boom.

The Rhaetian Railway Arrives In The Engadin

In 1903, the Rhaetian Railway reached the Engadin via the Albula Tunnel. This shortened the journey from the English coastal town of Folkestone via Chur to Samedan from 38 to 26 hours. The construction of the Bernina railway was completed in 1910 connecting Pontresina to the railway network. Both lines are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The outbreak of the First World War, followed by the Great Depression, put a damper on the tourist boom. It was only after the Second World War that the Engadin slowly began to recover.

Tourism Foundations

The Beginnings Of Tourism

Around 1900, Pontresina was still a sleepy mountain village. There were already a few hotels, but otherwise the population lived from agriculture and packhorse transport to the Italian Valtellina. The “Beautification Association” founded in 1872 laid out footpaths around the village so that the most beautiful viewpoints could be easily reached on foot. Pontresina’s location, close to extensive forests and magnificent glaciers soon made it a popular summer resort. During the summer, mountaineering developed thanks to ambitious climbers accompanied by local mountain guides, while in the winter guests enjoyed ice skating, skiing around Pontresina, bobsleigh and sleigh rides on the Bernina Road or skijöring.

Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity of being linked to the up-and-coming resort of St. Moritz, Pontresina was also mechanised. The construction of the chairlift and ski lift to Alp Languard in 1945 brought a connection to the high-altitude trail and to the Muottas Muragl funicular, which was built in 1907 and was the first leisure cable car in the Engadin.

The Pontresina ski-jump and the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz brought a further increase in holiday guests to the resort. The authentic ski instructors, recruited from local farmers and craftsmen, were vital components of the tourist offer in Pontresina. The opening of the Diavolezza cableway in 1956 finally woke the resort from its hibernation. New offers and hotels followed, as well as the construction of the Lagalb cableway, where international ski races take place, and an increase in cross-country skiing. The rise and development of Pontresina as a winter sports destination began and has continued unabated to the present day. Thanks to the wide range of activities on offer, the summer also took off: the number of overnight stays in Pontresina in the summer is about the same as in the winter.

· Voting campaign against cars on Graubünden roads

· Bobsleighing on the Bernina Pass, circa 1920