Seelisberg: Halter wants to turn the Sonnenberg site into a hotel and residential location
The project proposal envisages revitalizing the buildings of the Grandhotel Sonnenberg and the Kurhotel Kulm and adding new buildings.
One of Switzerland's most prominent properties, the former headquarters of the Maharishi Foundation above the Rütli in Seelisberg, is being revitalized. The details of this revitalization project have now been revealed. Halter AG has now presented the project proposal.
Halter wants to reposition the Sonnenberg complex as a hotel complex and supplement it with new residential buildings "as an economic pillar", according to the project developer. The aim is to do justice to the historical context and at the same time make the complex viable in the long term.
On the one hand, the design envisages the preservation of the Sonnenberg and Kulm hotels, while on the other, the complex is to be densified. According to Halter, a hotel with around 130 units and around 120 apartments will be built on the four construction sites. The ensemble will be complemented by gastronomic offerings.
The Hotel Sonnenberg is a listed building of regional importance and, according to the plans, is to remain at the heart of the complex. Halter wants to remove the existing buildings and replace them with new buildings to the rear of the building.
Hotel Kulm becomes a residential building
Although the Hotel Kulm is not under protection, the basic structure and external appearance are to remain largely intact. It will be converted into a residential building, and apartments for the hotel business can be positioned in the additional space in the basement in front, directly in the rock face, according to Halter. A restaurant with a garden terrace is planned for the first floor.
Two new apartment buildings are being built to the south of the hotel. Residential buildings are also planned to the north of the Perimater. Here, Halter wants to construct point buildings with apartments to replace the former Waldhaus Rütli hotel and the existing building to the rear.
The Federal Commission for the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage (ENHK) and the Federal Commission for Monument Preservation (EKD) will comment on the project proposal. In the meantime, preparations are underway to adapt the communal land use planning and to draw up a neighborhood design plan. If there are no delays due to appeal proceedings, the planning application could be submitted at the end of 2025, explains Halter. (ah)
