The Pump Room
1863
The pump room on Kleiner Rugen was designed by the Burgdorf archtect Robert Roller II for the Kurhaus Junfraublick AG in 1863.
At the head of this society was Conrad von Rappard, the original owner. Wheras the health hotel was situated, lightly elevated, on the north of Kleiner Rugen, the pump room was placed at the foot of the south side. The construction of a ring-way – designed as a comfortable shadowy promenade – was part of a general plan that Conrad von Rappard was able to realize on public ground (forest in cantonal possession).
Whey and mineral cures together with walks in the open, tasteful accomodation close to the main town, this was an offer that highly placed personalities could not resist. The fashionable whey cures promised help with problems of overweight, liver, gall, bowel and kidney troubles, as well as with skin diseases and gout.
1910
In 1910 the pump room was sold and separately operated as «Café Restaurant Trinkhalle» with a fantastic view to the Jungfrau and Schwalmeren.
1957
Dependence on the weather and WW I, the Depression and WW II had a negative effect on the pump room. In 1957 it was sold to the Canton of Bern, together with the plot of today’s Seed and Plant School (including the Villa Rappard). When the tenant Mösching had to leave the pump room at the end of 1960, life became very quiet on Kleiner Rugen.
1960 and after
The marginal use by the Kreisforstamt II Interlaken to do bad weather work (to prepare posts or overhaul benches) and as a warehouse had the positive effect of being kept in a good state of repair, saving it from total dereliction.
1989
There took place an inspection by the Matten society (Hr. M. Porter), the Protection for Historical Buildings (Hr. von Fischer) and the Forest District Office (Hr. R. Zumstein).
1999
Foundation for the Pump Room Kleiner Rugen and care for the Pump Room.
2000
Official opening, conclusion of restoration.
Association for the Promotion of the Pump Room
The Association for the Promotion of the Pump Room takes care of the management and renting out of the beautiful arrangement.
The association was founde in 1999 and has 250 active members.
The Thonet Chair
Thonet was the son of Franz Anton Thonet, a tanner from Boppard, Germany. After an apprenticeship as a carpenter he had his own carpenter’s business in 1819.
Thonet developed a procedure to bend beech-wood into elegant forms by using steam. Contrary to the massive furniture of his time, Thonet’s were simple, quite reasonably prized and functional, ideally suited to furnish offices, theatres and cafés.
The pump room in Interlaken was furnished with chair Nr. 14.
Zenith in Vienna
At the Trade Exhibition in Koblenz 1841 Thonet met Fürst Klemens Wenzel Lothar von Metternich, who was enthusiastic about Thonet’s furniture. Thonet was invited to the court at Vienna, and already in the following year he presented his furniture, especially the chairs, to the emperor’s household.
Brothers Thonet
In 1849 Brothers Thonet Company was founded. His chair Nr. 1 was produced already in 1850. He continually improved his methods of production and was able to open another factory as soon as 1856. There belonged to it extended forests of beech that held great importance for production.
Chair Nr. 14, designed in 1859 – better known as Konsumstuhl Nr. 14 – remains the chair of chairs until today. There were about 50 Mio. of them produced and sold up to 1930. At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1867 the Brothers Thonet Company received a gold medal for this design.
Michael Thonet died at 75 on 3rd March in Vienna. Meanwhile, the family company is now in its 5th generation.
The Thonet Museum at the Frankenberg Plant (Eder, Germany) presents the history of design and of the family. The museum of the town of Boppard contains a permanent exhibition of Thonet’s bent-wood furniture.