Swiss chalets: the end of a myth
-
Nendaz, canton Valais, 2012 Keystone -
Restaurant and nightclub "Chlösterli", Gstaad, 2006 Keystone -
Building an attic, Grüsch, 1955 RDB -
Chalet on stilts, Meggen, 2014 Keystone -
Post office in Lumbrein, canton Graubünden, 2009 Keystone -
Adelboden, 2015, and Liz Taylor with her children in Gstaad, 1962 Keystone -
Crans-Montana, Valais, 2014 Keystone -
Burned out chalet in Nendaz, Valais, 2005 Keystone -
Roman Polanski on the balcony of his chalet, Gstaad, 2010 Keystone -
Army exercises in central Switzerland, 1960 RDB -
Chalet with Christmas lights, Meggen, 2012 Keystone
It’s been a shock: the wooden chalet – so long a perfect symbol of Swissness – has been found to be an import designed by foreign architects and encouraged by alpine tourism.
- Deutsch Schweizer Chalet – Ende eines Mythos?
- Español El chalé suizo no es suizo
- Português O fim de um mito
- 中文 瑞士小木屋：神化的破灭
- Français Chalet suisse, la fin d'un mythe
- عربي الشاليه السويسري.. نهاية أسطورة
- Pусский Альпийские дома-шале или конец швейцарского мифа?
- Italiano Chalet svizzeri, la fine di un mito?
Swiss researcher Daniel Stockhammer has concluded that foreign architects, mainly Germans, first developed the traditional Swiss woodwork cottage of the 19th century.
“The emergence of a Swiss style of woodwork was accompanied by a distinct turning point in the country’s engagement with national architecture, as architects ... began to mine generations of traditional woodwork knowledge for their academic research,” he wrote. “The Swiss style existed abroad before being known here.”
The style – as can be seen in all its glory in our gallery – was meant to appeal to alpine travellers, Stockhammer argued in his thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ).
All Images: Keystone and RDB, Text: Samuel Jaberg, swissinfo.ch
Contributions under this article have been turned off. You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.