Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera, hotel
Hotel Waldhaus Vulpera is a Neo-Renaissance building from the late 19th century with Sgraffito decorations on its facades, set in a forested area above the village of Vulpera in the canton of Grisons. Only the ruins of the structure remain today, and a small museum and garden cafe have been set up alongside them.
The hotel opened in 1897 and drew wealthy guests from across Europe who came for the thermal springs nearby and the mountain air of the Engadin valley. A fire in 1989 destroyed it completely, leaving only the shell that stands today.
The name Waldhaus means forest house, which describes its position among the trees above the village. For many years the place drew writers and artists who came to work in seclusion and found the mountain setting well suited to creative life.
The museum and garden cafe next to the ruins can be reached by bus from Scuol-Tarasp or by car along road H27, with parking available nearby. A visit works best in dry weather since part of the site is outdoors.
The Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a regular guest at the Waldhaus and later wrote his novel Durcheinandertal, in which a hotel burns down, echoing the real fire of 1989. Whether life imitated art or the other way around is a question the ruins invite visitors to consider.
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