© Copyright 2024 Helmut Giersiefen. All Rights Reserved.
© Copyright 2024 Helmut Giersiefen. All Rights Reserved.
Hotel-Pension Belvédère
Historic poster
Historic poster
Long abandoned, the Hotel Belvédère sits as a relic on the Furka Pass Road, an icon of the Swiss hotel industry's bygone golden era.
The structure is an architectural masterpiece of the Belle Époque; a testimony to times past. From a perch in the serpentines of the Furka Road upon the Rhône Glacier, Giersiefen's work illuminates Hotel Belvédère's story, contextualizing the legendary hotel's place in history and suggesting its persistence well into the future.
The Belvédère is synonymous with the luxury, hospitality, and splendor found in the Belle Époque, punctuating the era as one of the last hotels constructed in 19th century Switzerland. It rose on the road in 1882 at prominent bend in the Furka Pass Road, which had been widened in the 1860s toward the direction of the Rhône Glacier. The precise positioning of the hotel at this dramatic bend suggests the road was constructed around the Hotel, further enhancing its stature.
The hotel has made many appearances in film and literature. In the 1960s, Sean Connery portrayed James Bond in the film Goldfinger, racing through the Furka Road's sharp curves. Years later the Belvédère was further immortalized on the cover of the book, Accidentally Wes Anderson, and served as the inspiration for Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel – a cinematic homage to the Belle Époque in its own right. Even today viral videos of drift racing and spectacular Red Bull shots rely on the building's grandeur to enrich their stories.
The Belvédère's glamorous façade hides an at times challenging history. Two world wars and economic problems caused by unregulated succession and changes in tourism cut deeply. Once a thriving business, the Belvédère became less frequented as the region was increasingly developed and long stays in pass hotels declined. At the same time, the Rhône Glacier receded about two kilometers and is no longer visible from the hotel. Despite its prominent location and historical gravitas, its shutters were closed and its doors locked.
Today there remains no certainty of the Belvédère reopening. After years of decay, there is only hope that it may be restored to once again welcome guests into this icon of Swiss history.