Ukategorisert
The Architect’s Ghost: Hauntings at Grand Hotel Giessbach
The Grand Hotel Giessbach has housed the Swiss elite for over a century and is said to be haunting the ghost of Horace Edouard Davinet, the architect behind it all.
The Grand Hotel Giessbach has housed the Swiss elite for over a century and is said to be haunting the ghost of Horace Edouard Davinet, the architect behind it all.
Above the glacial waters of Lake Brienz, the Grand Hotel Giessbach is a Swiss landmark of timeless elegance. Built in 1874, the hotel’s grand façade and sweeping views of cascading waterfalls have drawn royalty, artists, and weary travelers alike.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Switzerland
Horace Edouard Davinet, the renowned 19th-century architect, poured his soul into creating the Giessbach after being commissioned by the Hauser family of hoteliers, from Wädenswil in the Canton of Zurich who wanted to expand on the guesthouse they had there. The Grand Hotel Giessbach was said to be one of his crowning achievement, a luxurious Belle Epoque retreat with stucco-decorated ballrooms and salons meant to harmonize with the surrounding Alpine wilderness. Yet behind its Belle Époque charm lies a spectral secret — the restless spirit of the man who designed it.
The Ghost of the Architect
Horace Edouard Davinet was a Franco-Swiss architect. He was born in 1839 and studied, worked and lived in Bern where he designed buildings for the Swiss elite. Before he died in 1922, he designed several hotels, including the original Rigi Kulm Hotel at the summit of Rigi mountain in Switzerland. Although there is nothing but designing the hotel that connects him to this Grand Hotel Giessbach, this is where they say he haunts.
Read More: Check out all haunted hotels from around the world
Two World Wars plus economic crises with their devastating consequences for the Swiss hotel industry combined with a different understanding of tourism led to the fading of the lustre and glory of the Giessbach. After many years of decline, the Grand Hotel Giessbach closed its doors in 1979 before opening up again with a haunted rumor.
And though Davinet passed away long ago, it seems his devotion to the building has tethered him to its halls. And as the hotel director, Mark von Weissenfluh says: “We firmly believe that our hotel is primarily home to good spirits,”
The Haunting of the Grand Hotel Giessbach
For decades, staff and guests alike have whispered of eerie happenings within the Grand Hotel Giessbach, particularly during the quiet, snow-draped winter months when the rooms sit empty and the wind howls through the valley. Footsteps echo along deserted corridors, doors creak open without cause, and the air turns inexplicably cold in certain parts of the hotel — especially near the grand staircase, said to be Davinet’s favorite feature.
He is said to have gently touched two employees on the shoulder during their nightly rounds, but there are no malicious or negative stories coming from guests and staff about encounters with the house spirit.
The most unsettling encounters, however, involve the large, formal portrait of Davinet that hangs prominently in the hotel’s main hall. Many claim to have seen the eyes in the painting follow them as they pass, while others report a faint, spectral figure resembling the architect himself, standing motionless at the top of the staircase, vanishing the moment one’s gaze meets his.
Though skeptics brush it off as old hotel creaks and overactive imaginations, many believe Horace Edouard Davinet’s spirit continues to walk the halls of Grand Hotel Giessbach, ever watchful, ensuring that his masterpiece stands proud against the passage of time and that no one forgets the man who dreamed it into being.
For those brave enough to stay during a quiet winter’s night, keep an ear open for those ghostly footsteps — and if you pass the portrait in the main hall, you might just catch a flicker of movement in the architect’s unblinking eyes.
Newest Posts
- Davy Byrne’s Pub: The Ghost of James Joyce Still Raising a Glass
Said to appear in the mirror of his favorite place for a pint in Dublin, the ghost of James Joyce is rumored to still linger in Davy Byrne’s Pub. - The Tragic Ghost of the Maid Haunting Visnes HotelA maid who once worked at the hotel allegedly took her own life at the old Visnes Hotel, deep in the Norwegian fjords. Now it is said she is lingering in the afterlife in the old rooms she once worked in.
- The Black Church: Where the Devil Waits in DublinA church with the sinister name The Black Church in Dublin has a legend that claims if you follow the ritual, you will be able to summon the devil.
- The Nordic Grave Dwelling Haugbúi Draugr (ᛏᚱᛅᚢᚴᛦ)An ancient ghost coming from the depths of graves across the nordic countries, the Haugbúi Draugr could be both dangerous and even deadly. Not merely a specter, but the rotten flesh of the dead, the ghosts are remembered as The Walking Dead of the North.
- The Haunting of Hendrick Street: Dublin’s Most Cursed CornerIn the dark Hendrick Street in Dublin, there once were two houses said to be some of the most haunted ones in town. Occupied by at least six ghosts, some say they still linger in their old street.
- The Richmond Vampire and its Mausoleum in Hollywood CemeteryIn the pre civil war Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, the mausoleum of W.W Pool is said to be the grave of The Richmond Vampire. A more recent urban legend is now also connected with The Church Hill Tunnel collapse.
- The Headless Ghosts Haunting Dublin CastleSaid to be haunted by headless prisoners who tried to capture Dublin Castle, this storied building has shadows lingering in the corners.
- Most Haunted Places in Bern, SwitzerlandOld cities carry old ghost stories, and Bern in Switzerland is no exception. From the old buildings filled with history to the depth of the Aare river, here are some of the most haunted places in Bern.
- Serbia’s Vampire Town Kisiljevo and the Undead Ruža VlajnaCenturies after the vampire panic starting with the death of Petar Blagojević, another vampire was said to haunt the Serbian village, Kisiljevo. Who was Ruža Vlajna and what happened to her?
- The Haunted Fields of Croppie’s Acre: Dublin’s Restless Rebellion GroundSaid to be the mass burial place for the dead Irish Independence rebels from 1798, the Croppie’s Acre in Dublin is said to be haunted by their lingering souls.
- The Vanished Valley: The Fairies of Val GerinaOnce a green paradise, the legend says the fairies protected the people of Val Gerina valley in the Swiss alps. Driven by greed to impress a woman however, the son meant to continue the tradition and friendship with the fairies, brought it all down.
- Trinity College: The Ghostly Scholars Who Never LeftHaunted by its former Fellows, Trinity College in Dublin is said to be filled with eerie spirits where even the bell tolls after dark when the shadows take over campus.
References:
Horace Edouard Davinet – Wikipedia
1 Comment »