St. Moritz, Switzerland, the birthplace of winter tourism in the Alps
St. Moritz, the host of the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics and the birthplace of Alpine winter tourism, is an alpine resort town at an altitude of 1,856 meters in Engadin, Graubünden, Switzerland. It is the main town in the Upper Engadine and a municipality in the Marocha district of Switzerland.
St. Moritz is located on the southern slope of the Albula Alps below Mount Pitzner at an altitude of 3,056 meters, overlooking the flat and wide glacial valley of the Upper Engadine and the city's eponymous lake, Lake St. Moritz.
St. Moritz was an early Christian saint from southern Egypt and the commander of the Theban Legion of the Roman Empire. When he was stationed in present-day St. Moritz, the Theban Legion was executed for refusing to obey the order of Roman Emperor Maximilian to persecute Christians. He refused to execute the order again and was executed, which eventually affected the entire legion. Later the city was named after him.
But St. Moritz was first famous for its mineral waters, and pilgrims traveled to St. Moritz, usually to drink from the springs in the hope of being cured of an illness. The first scientific paper on the mineral water of St. Moritz was written in the 16th century. In 1535, Paracelsus, the great practitioner of naturopathy, spent some time in St. Moritz.
Although it also receives some visitors during the summer months, the origins of the winter resort can be traced back to September 1864, when St. Moritz hotel pioneer Kaspar Badrutt made a bet with four English summer guests that should they return in the winter, if the village did not live up to their expectations then he would cover their travel expenses. This marks the beginning of winter tourism not only in St. Moritz, but also in the entire Alps.
In the same year, Switzerland's first tourist office was established in the village. At the end of the 19th century, St. Moritz developed rapidly. In 1878, Switzerland's first electric light was installed in the Kulm Hotel. In 1880, the first curling competition of the European Big Six was held here. In 1882, the first European Ice Skating Championships were held in St. Moritz, and in 1889 the first Golf Championship was held in the Alps. The first wave run and wave race was held in 1890. By 1896, St Moritz became the first village in the Alps to install an electric tram and opened the Palace Hotel. Horse racing was held on the snow in 1906 and on a frozen lake the following year. In 1929, the first ski school in Switzerland was established in St. Moritz.
Since 1969, St. Moritz has hosted more than 20 FIS World Championships, 4 FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships and more than 40 Engadine Ski Races. It has since hosted many other events, including some unlikely ones on the frozen lake in the 1970s and 1980s, such as a golf tournament in 1979, snow polo matches every January starting in 1985, and cricket on ice in 1989.
St. Moritz has also been advertised and referred to as the Top of the World since the early 1980s, and was registered as a trademark by the tourist board in 1987. #OverseasTravel #Lake #Alps #Switzerland #SwissTravel #SwissTravelGuide #Switzerlandissobeautiful #SwissAlps #SkiResort