animiert magazin nummer21 winter

Weitere Informationen über die Luxushotellerie in Engelberg um 1900 und die Einführung des Wintersports finden Sie in der neuen Dauerausstellung des Talmuseums (geöffnet von Mittwoch bis Sonntag, 14.00-18.00 Uhr). Näheres zu Kiplings Winteraufenthalten in Engelberg findet sich bei Ka- tharina Odermatt: Mister Kiplings Vergnügen auf dünnem Eis, in: Än- gelbärger Zeyt – Jahrbuch Engelberg 2012 (5. Jg.), S. 61-71. To learn more about luxury hotels in Engelberg in the years around 1900 and the introduction of winter sports to the area, visit the new permanent exhibi- tion in the Tal Museum (open Wednesdays to Sundays from 2 to 6 p.m.). More information about Kipling’s winter v isits to Engelberg (in German) can be found in Katharina Odermat t ’s ar ticle “Mister Kiplings Vergnügen auf dünnem Eis” in Ängelbärger Zey t – Jahrbuch Engelberg 2012 (pp 61-71).

Ein Inserat für die Cattani- Hotels aus der Zeit um 1910. Beim Hotel in der Mitte han- delt es sich um das Grand Hotel Winterhaus (eröffnet 1905) (Standort Foto: Privatar- chiv Mike Bacher). A newspaper advertisement for Cattani hotels from around 1910. The hotel in the centre is the Grand Hotel Winter- haus, which opened in 1905.

(Photograph: Private ar- chives of Mike Bacher)

In the early years of the Belle Époque, Engelberg had already gained a reputation as a summer holiday destination. When it introduced a winter sports season from around 1903, it quickly became popular in the colder months too – especially with the British. Among themwas author and Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kipling. The Cat tani family opened Hôtel Titlis, the f irst luxur y hotel in Engelberg, back in 1865. That same summer, Princess A lice of the United Kingdom spent her summer holiday there. The young roya l was so enthusiastic

ters while stay ing here, and his words give fascinating insight into what our winter guests were get ting up to over a centur y ago. Kipling was not just a keen obser ver inter- ested in ever y thing he saw around him, he a lso played an ac tive role in Engelberg’s socia l life himself. A lthough he was war y of bobsleighing, which struck him as unneces- sarily daring, he was a keen skier and was par ticu larly fond of skating and curling. Kipling had a close f riendship with Eduard Cat tani Jnr., manager of the Grand Hotel. Cat tani had prev i- loca l af fairs and persuaded him to invest in Engelberg’s development, as severa l regu lar guests did. Kipling was par ticu larly inter- ested in the idea of a f unicu lar railway up to the Gerschnia lp. On 14 Februar y 1912, he wrote to his son Jack: “If, as Cat tani says, they have the f unicu lar railway to Gerschni in working order by nex t year, you’ ll be able to have a ll the ski-ing that your hear t can de- sire.” Kipling is said to have acquired shares in the projec t himself, and he was present when the railway opened on 21 Januar y 1913. But those ha lcyon days were soon to come to an end. A year later, war broke out. Jack Kipling, the author’s on ly son, died in bat tle in 1915. Kipling did not return to Engelberg, as the memories of the joy f u l times he had experi- enced here with his son were now too pain- f u l to bear. And yet Engelberg was to retain a decisive inf luence on Kipling, discernible in his f uture writings, and he corresponded with the Cat tani family until his death in 1936. ously worked in the Langham Hotel in London, and he thus spoke good English and was familiar with the habits of the English upper class. He kept Kipling informed about

about the Engelberg va lley that she wrote a let ter a ll about it to her mother, Queen Vic toria. In 1868, the Brit- ish monarch herself graced Engelberg with her presence. British guests were

British guests were the driving force behind the introduction of winter sports in Engelberg.

the driv ing force behind the introduc tion of winter spor ts in the Engelberg va lley. They had witnessed other winter spor ts destinations in the A lps and were keen to introduce the f un and f rolics to Engelberg, too. In 1903 the “Spor t- club” – later ca lled the “Skiclub” – was founded, with the goa l of get ting the loca l popu lation enthusiastic about the idea. In 1904 , the Cat- tani brothers celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony for their new Grand Hotel Winter- haus. When the hotel opened on 10 December 1905, that marked the of f icia l beginning of the winter season in Engelberg. Thanks to tourists f rom the United Kingdom and Ger- many, it was a success right f rom the star t. Among the guests was English writer Rudyard Kipling, famous author of the well- loved The Jungle Book. In 1907 he had received the Nobel Prize in L iterature, and f rom 1909 to 1914 he came regu larly to our high moun- tain va lley, usua lly spending two months here during the winter. He wrote many let-

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