Hotel Mittaghorn
I sadly have to report that at the very end of 2019 Walter climbed the stairs of the Mittaghorn for the last time
Walter Mittler 18/7/1924 - 31/12/2019 RIP
For alternative accommodations please see the Gimmelwald website.
About Walter... Walter grew up in Basel and found a career as a chef working in hotels as WWII came to an end. Later he worked for Swissair in first-class catering in New York during the 1960s. I remember him recounting consuming Beluga Caviar for breakfast on a regular basis "only the best caviar we had to eat ourselves of course, as it would not be consistent with the average!". Walter "retired" to run the Hotel Mittaghorn in Gimmelwald around 1970, which had previously been operated by his aunt Elsa who was quite a character in her own right, according to local folklore. Walter was a unique character. His needs and pleasures were extraordinarily simple (despite his liking for caviar!). He gained most joy in welcoming guests to the simplicity and beauty of his mountain location and, when possible, feeding them wholesome and tasty food. Evenings at the hotel were famous for his dinners, which were always well lubricated with complementary wine. If guests were lucky he might stay up after dinner, sometimes until well after midnight, discussing and recounting the changes he had witnessed in his life and travels, and expressing his opinions on the politics of the day. In the last years he rarely left the hotel, but could often be found in the afternoons sitting in his sunny spot at a table by the side of the house, eating a simple lunch washed down with a glass or two of red wine. He maintained a real interest in the world through the radio news channel which was almost always playing in the hotel (and which could often be heard through the night by guests unfortunate to sleep in rooms adjacent to his own!), and we would often discuss politics, events, the changing climate, and the changes that technology was bringing to people's lives and the world in general (the benefits of which he was generally rather skeptical of!). He would usually finish by saying "I am grateful I can sit here and look at the mountains. This is the best. This is my paradise. What more could you need? The rest is just so much b******t.)" I knew Walter since the 80s and generally helped him "run" the hotel for some months in the summer since 2001, while I was not busy hiking, flying, biking, or recovering from accidents! I attempted to "look after him" as much as possible, though that was not at all an easy task, as he was determined that "the show must go on" whatever the state of his rather variable health. He really seemed to be a timeless character that would go on for ever, but at the very end of 2019 he finally climbed the hotel stairs for the last time. He never checked out. It's how he wanted it to be. Fond memories of a man who changed the course of my life and gave me a "home" in the mountains for so long. Best wishes to all our guests over the years and thank you for coming to visit. Tim
You are welcome to send messages to mittaghorn dot tim at gmail dot com, or use the following facebook group to keep in touch. Friends of Walter's Hotel Mittaghorn |
