Hotel Schweizerhof

The Hotel Schweizerhof stands on the Schweizerhofquai on the lakefront of Lucerne, Switzerland, a short walk from the railway station and the Kapellbrücke. It was built in 1845 and opened as one of the first large hotels designed for the growing numbers of foreign visitors who came to see Lake Lucerne and the Alps. Its construction coincided with the early tourism boom of the mid-19th century, a time when Lucerne, after the arrival of steamships on the lake and later the railway, was becoming a stop on the Grand Tour. Over the following decades the hotel was extended and updated, and it acquired the Belle Epoque character visible today, with a symmetrical façade facing the lake and a prominent entrance. Distinguished guests are recorded in the hotel's history, including Queen Victoria, who stayed in the Lucerne region in 1868, and other royalty and composers associated with the city. The Schweizerhof is a private working hotel, so visitors cannot tour it as a museum, but the exterior and the lakeside promenade in front are public and open at all hours. The building is protected as part of the historic lakefront, and renovation work has maintained the façade and the principal public rooms. Its position along the quay, next to other grand hotels and the Hofkirche district, makes it a good place from which to understand how 19th-century tourism changed the city. Visitors usually view it from outside as part of a walk along the lake, with views of Pilatus and the Rigi in the distance. Those who wish to see the interior can use the hotel's café or bar.