Switzerland is a country long renowned for its mountains, chocolate and timekeeping, not to mention a host of other things, and now it is becoming a home to stylish architecture. Not only do some of the world’s most famous architects work and have homes here, such as Santiago Calatrava and Sir Norman Foster, but the country is building some of the most fashionable and trend-setting buildings anywhere in the world.
The country has garnered a host of awards recently, from such diverse sources as The Guardian newspaper and Wallpaper magazine. The Guardian just named Switzerland as its Favourite European Country in its annual travel awards, and Wallpaper gave Zurich the title of Europe’s trendiest and most popular city. One of the great things about the country is that, wherever you go, you can see a mix of old and new and find whatever suits your particular taste. From old time charm to modern and cutting edge architecture, Switzerland truly has something for everyone.
Visitors to Zurich can see Santiago Caltrava’s sweeping and modern Stadelhofen train station if you journey via train. You can also enjoy some of the many spas and lounges when you want to relax. Seebad Enge is one of the trendiest spas and sits on a floating pavilion with dramatic views all around.
The city of Basel is home to the architecture firm Herzo & de Meuron, which is most known for the Beijing Olympic Stadium, or Bird’s Nest. The firm helped to enlarge the local sports stadium in St. Jakob Park for Euro 2008 and has also designed the Fondation Herzog, a museum of the history of photography.
Many people travel to Switzerland to enjoy winter holidays in the Alps, and St. Moritz is a popular destination. In addition to its well-known slopes and après-ski, it is the home of the Chesa Futura Apartments, designed by Norman Foster. Zermat just had a new four star hotel open in June called the Matterhorn Focus. It is a modern hotel built into the hillside with amazing views of the mountain for which it is named. The Therme Vals spa and hotel is becoming known as one of the most elegant places in Europe, with the spare, modern buildings that look like scultures. It isn’t hard to find new and old buildings that are some of the most elegant in Europe wherever you travel in Switzerland.
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