History

The ‘Villa Hünigen’, was mentioned as a settlement as early as the 12th century in a deed by Pope Eugene III in connection with the convent of Röthenbach. The estate, i.e. the land of  Hünigen, frequently changed hands until it was acquired by Hans Rudolf von Scharnachtal in 1501. There was already a castle on the hill of Niederhünigen then, and a mill on the site of the present house. The castle burned down, and Hans Rudolf’s grandson, Niklaus, had the present chateau built in the mid-16th century using the old stones. In 1588, the von May family acquired the chateau located right beside the Emmental Kiesen brook, and it remained in their possession for more than 330 years.

From 1588 to 1922 Schloss Hünigen belonged to the von May family, immigrants from Italy who had become wealthy through trade. They rose into the exclusive circle of families who divided the power and sinecures of the powerful Bernese city-state amongst themselves. The men were members of the Great and the Small Council or officers in the service of the French and the Dutch. The von Mays were related by marriage to the patrician families von Steiger, von Wattenwyl and later the von Tavel family. So it came about that the Bernese dialect poet Rudolf von Tavel (1866–1934) stayed with his aunt in Schloss Hünigen from time to time and wrote two of his 14 novels there. ‘D' Frou Kätheli u ihri Buebe’ and ‘Dr Stärn vo Buebäbärg’. The chateau had frequent visitors from the city and there were ‘lively’ goings-on: ‘It was set in a beautiful rural complex. They had horses, carriages, coachmen and gardeners.’ A description that would apply today as well …

The official Chateau Chronicle has much to report about the frequent changes in those times. The current issue points out that the masters of Hünigen possessed a ‘cosmopolitanism’ that ‘elevated them above their environment’. Thus Schloss Hünigen was open to the world very early on, and there were people from all over the world visiting Hünigen. This open-minded attitude seems to be part of the very fabric of the house, and through all the frequent changes over the centuries it has become ever more noticeable – to this day.

Around the turn of the 20th century, the family became significantly involved in the construction of the first electric train in Europe, the Emmental-Thun-Burgdorf Railway. This is why a station was built in Stalden in close proximity to the chateau.

In 1892, César Ritz, one of the great hotel pioneers, acquires a large piece of land from the von May family, with the assistance of his head chef, Auguste Escoffier  (whose ‘Guide Culinaire’ is still considered by experts to be one of the leading works of French cooking literature), and established the Bernese Alps Dairy Company. In the «Siedi», as the factory was affectionately called in local parlance, they began to produce exportable, unsweetened condensed and powdered milk from 1895 onwards. It was the legendary «Bärenmarke» [bear brand] that made the breakthrough, and from then on children in many countries were raised with the help of healthy Emmental ‘Bear’ milk. First under the name of Berner Alpen Crème, Stalden Crème soon became a great success and an ambassador spreading the name Stalden throughout the world.

In 1922 the chateau was sold to the Evangelische Gesellschaft [Protestant Association] of the Canton of Bern for 193,000 Swiss Francs. After the war, healing massages as well as herbal and whey baths came into fashion. In 1953 you could already wash with running cold water, and in 1961 the house generated an impressive 19'546 overnight stays.

It was run as a hotel, constantly renovated and adapted to the requirements of the times. In 1997/98, the hotel underwent substantial refurbishment and expansion to become a 4-star hotel, the Parkhotel Schloss Hünigen.

On 1st January, 2011, the Evangelische Gemeinschaftswerk (formerly the Evangelische Gesellschaft) sold the Parkhotel Schloss Hünigen to the Thurgau real estate company Lark Hill AG. In the course of this transaction, Schloss Hünigen was completely refurnished and repositioned at the beginning of 2013. In May 2013, the building reopened its doors in new splendour and with a consistent focus on banquets, seminars and events. Of course, private guests are always more than welcome.

In 2019 Schloss Hünigen returned to Bernese ownership. The internationally successful businessman Walter Inäbnit and the enterprising young entrepreneur Matthias Spycher acquired Schloss Hünigen. The historic building continues to be run in the same style as a 4-star seminar and boutique hotel.