{"id":10680,"date":"2025-11-07T09:50:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T08:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hotel-reine-victoria.ch\/about-us\/150-jahre-reine-victoria\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T15:23:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:23:41","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hotel-reine-victoria.ch\/en\/about-us\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Celebrating a timeless elegance<\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\nFrom the spa hotel of the European aristocracy to the modern 4-star jewel, the Hotel Reine Victoria has retained its unmistakable charm and tells stories of hospitality, art, culture – and the timeless elegance of constantly reinventing itself.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The man who designed St. Moritz<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Anyone strolling through St. Moritz today cannot fail to notice the unmistakable signature of Nicolaus Hartmann senior. \n\nAfter a deprived childhood – orphanage, poverty, hard work – the exceptional architect from Chur rose to make his mark on St. Moritz with his iconic hotel palaces and churches. Hartmann did not create houses; he built the stage for the new attitude to life of a flourishing tourist destination. We are proud that the Hotel Reine Victoria is also one of his works and that it connects our hotel with the spirit of the Gr\u00fcnderzeit. \n
<\/br>Source: Kristina Hartmann, Master builders in Graub\u00fcnden. Three generations of Nicolaus Hartmann 1850-1950 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The home for unforgettable encounters <\/h2>\n

Named after the British Queen, the Reine Victoria was already one of the leading hotels in St. Moritz in the 1890s. Society met in the majestic halls to celebrate, dance and make music – including Duchess Vera von W\u00fcrttemberg, granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I. Maestro Herbert von Karajan also set a concert to music here in the theater hall. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The art of hospitality<\/h2>\n

Around 1900, the Hotel Reine Victoria enchanted its guests with amenities that were exceptional for the time: Bathrooms, elevators, heating – and electric light! \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Let there be light<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Before the advent of electricity, the atrium allowed daylight to flood from the roof into the imposing rooms on the first floor. When electric light was installed for the first time in Switzerland in 1879 – first in the Hotel Kulm in St. Moritz and a little later in the Hotel Reine Victoria – a new era of architecture began, opened up by the possibilities of artificial lighting. A ceiling was installed in the lobby, painted by Antonio De Grada in bright, heavenly ornamentation.
<\/br>\nThe splendor of those electrifying early days lives on to this day: 47 chandeliers made of fine Murano glass light the way from reception to the breakfast room.
<\/br>\n\nThe staircase in the atrium is also largely preserved in its original state and combines cast iron, wood and marble.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Putti, blossoms, bows<\/h2>

Somewhere between Art Nouveau, Symbolism and Historicism, Antonio De Grada’s fine brushstrokes adorn our ceilings. <\/p>

Born in Milan in 1858, the artist became a sought-after decorator among the Swiss upper classes at an early age. His works hung in the Kunsthaus Zurich, traveled around the country with the Turnus exhibition – and reached London, where he was awarded the gold medal at the Crystal Palace in 1907. <\/p>

Inspired by Italian sacred buildings, De Grada created our lobby and the theater hall as nostalgic jewels of the Belle \u00c9poque. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Other hotels with ceiling paintings by De Grada:<\/p>\n\n