Splügen - wo sich Wege treffen
Transporting goods on pack horses
There are not many places in Graubünden that have been stamped with the markers of goods transportation and the passage of travellers as much as Splügen. It’s location at the foot of the Splügen Pass and San Bernardino makes the area a much loved rest stop for holiday makers on the way to or from Italy.
The Bodenhaus was built in 1722. The purpose of the building was to supply storage space for transporting and trading goods, though it was also used as a post office. In addition, right from the start the hotel provided lodging and amenities for travellers.
At the start of the 19th Century the mule tracks over the mountain passes were turned into roads, subsequently bringing even more coaches and carriages through to Splügen. There was a shift in demand too, instead of patrons asking for storage space, they began asking for places to sleep overnight. It was then, in 1828, that the Bodenhaus became a lodge, both inside and out.
In order to record the comings and goings of the guests it hosted, in the same year as its transformation the Bodenhaus began a guestbook. Rich travellers recorded their names, position, place of origin and destination in the book that is now a substantial piece of history, both of the area and the time period. Famous names are inscribed in the book, among them Friedrich Nietzsche, William Turner, Prince Louis Napoléon Bonaparte and Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen.
