Cliffhanging Swiss guest house seeks new landlords
The Äscher-Wildkirchli guest house in Alpstein
Keystone
A Swiss restaurant tucked into a rockface and made famous by a National Geographic magazine cover is looking for new management after the family that has run it for the past 31 years is calling it quits.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/ts
Español
es
En Suiza, “increíble lugar del mundo” busca gerente
Nicole and Bernhard Knechtle-Fritsche are giving up the franchise for the Äscher-Wildkirchli guest houseExternal link in Alpstein, northeastern Switzerland, at the end of the 2018 tourist season.
Local media quoted the couple as saying they could not keep up with demand, given restrictions on renovation work on the site, which is perched under a cliff at 1,450 metres above sea level.
As early as 1800, hermits and farmers began to sell simple drinks and food on the Äscher Alp. At the beginning of the 19th century, the hut below the Ebenalp slowly turned into a guest house, now one of the oldest in Switzerland. From 1987, the “Äscher” was run by the parents of Bernhard Knechtle-Fritsche, who, with his wife, took over the lease in May 2014.
Too successful
Now just a restaurant, the Äscher has experienced a boom over the past 30 years and has been visited by many guests from within Switzerland and abroad, the government of canton Appenzell Inner Rhodes said on Monday.
The inn is a victim of its own success
Keystone
The exposure in National Geographic helped it become a popular tourist destination.
The Ebenalp railway also benefited from the inn’s pulling power and on peak days 2,500 passengers took the cable car from Wasserauen up onto Ebenalp. After a short hike, many pass through the caves to the hermitage and the chapel and on to the Äscher-Wildkirchli guest house.
St. Martins chapel in the Wildkirchli caves, founded in 1621
Keystone
A consequence of this success is that for a while now the building’s infrastructure hasn’t been able to keep up with the growing number of guests, the Knechtle-Fritsches said on Monday. The lack of space and limited water and electricity would repeatedly result in bottlenecks. The loo situation was also out of date, they said.
Certain adjustments were planned, they explained, but due to conditions imposed by the protection of historical monuments, there would be major structural restrictions. Given this, they said they could not carry on.
The local authorities said the lease would be put out to tender soon.
More
More
The 15 most peculiar buildings in Switzerland
This content was published on
All in all, Swiss homes are pretty conventional, but there are a few exceptions.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
‘Pressure will increase on Switzerland to invest more in defence’
This content was published on
Markus Mäder, Switzerland's state secretary for security policy, believes that more cooperation is needed in order to strengthen defence in Europe.
Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter
This content was published on
Only one in five people in Switzerland attend a religious service during the Easter period or give up meat or alcohol for at least one day of fasting. Around 25% of those polled see Easter primarily as a family holiday, according to the survey.
Major road disruptions continue after heavy snowfall in parts of Switzerland
This content was published on
The snowfall has ended in the southern Swiss canton of Valais, the cantonal emergency services said on Friday. Several roads, however, remain closed.
Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths
This content was published on
Stephan Schmidheiny has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison by the Turin Court of Appeal in a case against the former Eternit executive over deaths linked to asbestos exposure in Italy.
This content was published on
Swiss imports and exports reached new heights in the first quarter, driven by the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. Shipments to the US rose sharply.
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.
Read more
More
Appenzell marks 500 years of Swissness
This content was published on
On December 17 it will be exactly 500 years since the canton of Appenzell joined the Swiss Confederation, and the anniversary has been celebrated throughout the year, culminating in a day-long event attended by this year’s Swiss president, Ueli Maurer. “With your pride in your homeland and your traditions, you are a wonderful example of…
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.