The history of Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen
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153 years ago, Wengen consisted only of small hamlets and individual farms. Our ancestors Christian and Anna Lauener-Gertsch lived in a whitewashed house on the “Kneu” and had been welcoming holiday guests since 1855. They were primarily parish families. At the suggestion of these guests and with their financial support, they built the first pension in Wengen. They are therefore the founders of the hotel industry in Wengen. Pension Wengen was expanded in several stages to an offer of 200 beds and attracted more and more guests, not only from Switzerland but also from England, Germany and even from the USA.

Margaritha, the daughter of Christian and Anna Lauener-Gertsch, moved to “Stutz” after her marriage to Friedrich Feuz, where they lived with their three children and ran a small farm. In addition, the husband took over the post of parish clerk of Lauterbrunnen. As more and more guests came to Wengen, they took the bold decision to build a hotel. On February 10, 1879, they acquired the necessary land in “Rossen” for this purpose.

The construction of the Alpenrose took 2 years and on July 4, 1881, the first guests were welcomed.

There were no train connections yet and so Friedrich Feuz-Lauener often picked up his guests in Interlaken. In his carriage, he led them to Lauterbrunnen. From then on, the marching guests made the steep path to Wengen on foot, while ladies and obese men were transported up in a carrying chair or in the saddle.

At that time, in addition to some products from our own farm, food had to be procured from abroad. Butter was purchased from Grindelwald, with the Älpler taking the male route under their feet three to many times every week. Bread and baked goods had to be picked up early in Lauterbrunnen every morning.

In 1893, there was a big upswing with the Wengernalp Railway. The railway continued to Jungfraujoch in 1912. New hotels were springing up like mushrooms. As a result, the owner family decided to expand the business. In 1894, a new hotel building, the “Mittaghorn”, was built.

After the death of Friedrich Feuz-Lauener in 1902 and their son Fritz, who died of an insidious illness at the age of 32 years later, “Alpenrose” and “Mittaghorn” were in the hands of Margaritha Feuz-Lauener and her two adult children. After her death in 1911, her children Hans and Margaritha and their spouses took over the businesses. Margaritha had married Fritz von Allmen von Lauterbrunnen in 1908. They were given two sons, Fritz, born 1909 and Paul, born 1911.

The 1914 summer season got off to a good start, both hotels with 140 beds were fully occupied. That's when the First World War broke out at the end of August. Within a few days, all hotels were empty.

Difficult times came. The duration of the season was almost exclusively limited to the Swiss school vacation period. Fritz von Allmen-Feuz died in 1916, leaving behind his widow Margaritha with two small children.

In 1919, there were signs of a new upswing. The high number of visitors continued and the need to set up new businesses to meet higher demands became more and more urgent. Since both hotels could not be renovated, it was decided to renovate the “Alpenrose” first. In 1929, the rooms were provided with hot and cold water and in some even private bathrooms and toilets. There was also a new lift.

In winter 1929/30, Hotel Alpenrose opened for the first winter season. As a result of the global crisis in the hotel industry, difficult times returned in the following years. In 1932, Hotel Mittaghorn was closed. However, Margaritha von Allmen-Feuz and her sister-in-law Ida Feuz-Grossglauser continued the “Alpenrose” until her death in 1937. From the division, the von Allmen-Feuz family took over the “Alpenrose”. During the Second World War, operations were maintained, but foreign guests did not attend.

After the war, the rooms were renovated and in 1960 after the death of Margaritha von Allmen-Feuz, ownership passed to her two sons Fritz and Paul. Paul married Heidi Lauener from Lauterbrunnen in 1942 and in her he found a proven support in running the company. Her children Paul Junior, born in 1944, and Margrit, born in 1946, also trained in the hotel sector. Margrit and her husband Erich Leemann now run the Park Hotel in Wengen.

When Fritz died unexpectedly of heart failure in 1973, his nephew Paul Junior had to give up his job in a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya and return home. On January 1, 1979, Paul senior and Heidi von Allmen-Lauener handed over the business to their son and his wife Margaret, née Wood, to the 4th generation. Her children Ursula, born 1981 and Fiona, born 1983, were always happy to help out in the company. Fiona works for the fashion store H&M in Bern and Ursula has decided to follow in her parents' footsteps and joined the company in May 2010 after completing her training as a hotel specialist.

Today, our hotel is 130 years old and combines tradition, hospitality and modern comfort in the best possible way in a sunny, panoramic location. The von Allmen family and 20 employees are looking forward to your visit.
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