Berghotels 1890-1930: Südtirol, Nordtirol und Trentino

Fundamentals of hotel construction

Around 1890, the advance of alpinism and Alpine tourism necessitated the building of accommodation for visitors to the mountain worlds of South Tyrol and neighboring regions. Hotels were built in remote high-mountain landscapes. These were integrated into the regional context, while at the same time symbolized a claiming of political and economic space.

The architectural creation of mountain hotels was based on innovative design methods along serial or modular lines. The author examines the genesis of this building type against the background of international hotel construction, from design practice to the artistic interpretation of inspirational ideas from interior design, starting from the premise that the hotel represents 'a synthesis of clinic, railroad sleeping car and machine' (J. A. Lux).

• Tourist architectural history of South Tyrol in two volumes
• Architectural photos, advertising graphics, drawings, plans from the turn of the twentieth century
• The economic, scientific, social, and cultural contexts explained in an understandable way

Bettina Schlorhaufer, Institut für Architekturtheorie, Baugeschichte und Denkmalpflege der Universität Innsbruck.