Hotel Regina

From Hotel Junfrau to Schulhotel Regina
In 1838 Friedrich Seiler, deputy of Bönigen, director of a parquet factory in Unterseen, built an Italian-style country house on the «Sattlerhübeli». Subsequently a wine merchant got an inn lease. On 27th November 1856 Friedrich Seiler sold the property to Hermann von Rappard from Prussia, living at that time at Giessbach. He made it over to his brother Conrad von Rappard in October 1858, the one-time proprietor of the Engellsche Institute in Wabern producing slide preparations.

The Rappards
The high social standing of the Rappards promised them a constant flow of numerous faithful guests from among the nobility, the world of arts, finance and economy. It was the top ranking hotel of Interlaken. The Dowager Queen Elisabeth of Prussia was a regular guest for many years. The painter Clara von Rappold contributed in no small way to the hotel’s fame in the world of arts.

Jakob Oesch-Müller
In January 1879 the Hotel Jungfraublick was purchased by the cavalry captain Jakob Oesch-Müller, up till now director of the Hotel Schweizerhof in Bern. The Hotel Jungfraublick was well frequented and was extended in 1904. In addition, Jakob Oesch-Müller took the Hotel Mattenhof on lease. He was also a member of the Kurhausgesellschaft and was on the board of the Brienzer Rothornbahn.

Family Company Ltd.
Because of financial problems, a family company was founded. The hotel was managed by Jakob’s son Paul Oesch. After the lull of the war years 1914-1918 he set out on a publicity tour to the big cities of Europe. He caught pneumonia in London and died in 1924.

Hotel Regina
In 1954 the Hotel Jungfraublick was bought by the company of «Immobilien am See Zürich», affiliated to the Migros-Genossenschaftbund. The name of the hotel was now changed to Regina. For many years, from 1973 onwards, the Swiss Hotel Association (SHV) counted among its guests, utilizing the hotel as a training centre in spring and autumn. They bought the hotel in 1979, changed and extended it and started its use as a school and boarding place.

Hotel Jungfraublick
Conrad von Rappard together with von Greyerz, his brother-in-law Löwe-Kalbe and the architects Studer and Davinet founded the «Kurhaus Jungfrau AG», which in 1863 bought the Hotel «Jungfraublick», today’s «Regina». It was changed according to the plans of Davinet and henceforth was the starting point for family friends and guests looking for a rest cure.The society planned a big  recreation complex on the Rugen, including a hotel, a pump room and a ring-way with observation points towards the panorama of the Bernese Alps. There would be a daily routine of walking, watering, bathing and whey-drinking. However, this project was never realized.

Conrad von Rappard
«Conrad von Rappard was a multitalented man, perhaps too much so, as over and over again he was driven to new designs without the necessary staying power. This is often the case with talented people, whose interests are far reaching and who want to prove their capabilities in many fields, leading to a life of unrest, but rich in content. In any case, he was a special person.» Thus he is discribed in the Rappard family book.Clara von Rappard’s portraits of her father present an imposing and handsome man with kind eyes. Conrad von Rappard was of a co-operatve mind who liked to plan with other like-minded people, forever looking for all kinds of social contacts. Thanks to the votes of his co-operators on his Berlin properties, he gained a seat in the Frankfurt-Parliament. These people appreciated his social committment. He was no great orator, and on social occasions he excelled rather as an organizer than as a speaker.