At the Dolder Grand in Zurich, luxury and excess are part of 125 years of history(s)

Published on November 24, 2024 at 07:29. / Modified on November 24, 2024 at 12:45 p.m.

And here are the champagne flutes. On the ground floor of the Dolder Grand, the “Dolder” for short, a small gathering of privileged people attends the inauguration of a new gastronomic space: the Canvas Bar & Lounge. “Cheers!” exclaims Arnd Küchel, the project’s architect – also a regular customer of the palace. A few appetizers are passed around, before the sommelier slips a Baby Negroni to the guests, which itself gives way to the “chef’s cocktail”. A birthday gift from the hotel to itself to celebrate its 125th anniversary, the luxurious space “seduced by its avant-garde design”, according to the Dolder Grand. Who is full of praise for his latest offspring. “As if the bar itself were an immersive work of art, it blends into its surroundings and becomes a living part of the hotel’s remarkable art collection.”

Filled with paintings and sculptures, the Dolder Grand is not just a prestigious establishment welcoming the greats of this world for over a century, it is a real museum – with particularly eclectic works. Hodler, Dalí, Niki de Saint Phalle and Keith Haring are there. While the hallway leading to Canvas Bar & Lounge features some of Finnish artist Jani Leinonen’s collection of framed homeless signs – “PLEASE HELP!”, says one. A meeting place for the international elite, the area overlooking Zurich is a world apart with its own codes. A temple of abundance which welcomed Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and even the Rolling Stones. A lavish Mecca whose most prestigious suite (“Herbert von Karajan”, named after the famous Austrian conductor who belonged to the Nazi party) costs around 15,000 francs per night. And whose recent history also tells of some of the failings of the elite of the elite. Owner’s tower.

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