Schatzalp
Until the end of the 19th century Schatzalp was nothing but a wonderfully sunny mountain terrace just above the tree line. In the summer, shepherds took their animals up to graze when the grass had grown scarce in the valleys. There, they also collected hay for the coming winter. In 1900, Willem Holsboer, together with physicians and the young Zurich architects Pfleghardt and Häfeli, erected a tuberculosis sanatorium above the burgeoning city. It was one of the first buildings to be made out of concrete. There were already a number of clinics in the valley but the Schatzalp, with its sun and beautiful views, was unique. At the same time a cable railway was built to transport people and goods, and the clinic installed its own electricity and water supplies. Thanks to the discovery of medication to cure tuberculosis, the clinics in Davos became obsolete after 50 years. The sanatorium remained in the same hands and was converted into a hotel. The operating room became the swimming pool, and the x-ray department will be turned into the smoking room. The rooms did not require major remodelling and the deep wooden balconies appealed to the hotel guests as well.
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