During theMiddle Ages, it was part of the district of Saanen (Gessenay) belonging to theSavoyard county of Gruyère. The town core developed at the fork in the trails into theValais andVaud. It had an inn, a warehouse for storing trade goods and oxen to help pull wagons over the alpine passes by the 13th-14th centuries. The St. Nicholas chapel was built in the town in 1402, while the murals are from the second half of the 15th century. The town was dominated by cattle farming and agriculture until the great fire of 1898. It was then rebuilt to support the growing tourism industry. The construction of theMontreux–Lenk im Simmental line in 1905 and the construction of ski runs (the Ski Club of Saanen open in 1905 followed in 1907 by the Ski Club of Gstaad). The first ski school in Gstaad opened in 1923. The Eagle Ski Club opened in 1957, and was funded byCharles Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick. In a short time, there were more than 1,000 hotel beds in the region.[2]
The residents, hoteliers, shopkeepers and tourist offices helped to promote Gstaad to international attention. They supported the construction of ice rinks, tennis courts, swimming pools, ski jumps, and ski and hiking areas. The first ski lifts at Funi opened in 1934-44 and were followed by a number of gondolas, ski, and chair lifts. TheGstaad Palace opened in 1913 as Gstaad's first luxury hotel. In 1942 the Saanen-Gstaad airfield was opened for military and civil aviation. Helicopter rides were added later and in 1980 balloon flights became available as well. During the World Wars and theGreat Depression, the tourism industry suffered and many hotels closed. After World War II, many of the large hotels remained closed, but they were replaced with a number of smaller non-hotel accommodation (chalets, apartment houses, residences). Most of the modern resorts and small hotels are built out of wood and retain traditional design elements.[2]
The Gstaad Polo Club was founded in 1992,[3] and the Gstaad Yacht Club in 1998.[4]
Long known for its walking and hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty, the mountain air and ambiance attract guests year-round from around the world. Gstaad is also known for its ski and cross-country slopes and winter hiking trails.[citation needed] Glacier 3000 is a major attraction, offering guaranteed snow from December to March and unique high-altitude experiences, including the world’s first summit-to-summit suspension footbridge with views of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.[7] Gstaad also offers distinctive culinary experiences, such as the ‘Fondueland Gstaad,’ where visitors can enjoy fondue in oversized outdoor caquelon pots set amidst scenic Alpine landscapes. To facilitate this, fondue backpacks contain all the necessary ingredients and equipment that can be rented from local dairies, allowing for a dining experience in nature.[8]
Gstaad, named "The Place" byTime magazine in the 1960s,[9] is widely known for its famous part-time residents and vacationers.[9] Famous regular visitors to Gstaad have includedMadonna,Charles III andPrincess Diana, former UN Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan, haute couture designerValentino Garavani, writerWilliam F. Buckley, Jr.,[10] and various members of theCavendish family. Many British bands and musicians would play at L'Atelier, a club in Gstaad, in the 1960s and 1970s; one such band was Merlin 'Q' (laterEdison Lighthouse), who stayed a whole winter.[citation needed] The town has been coined “The Swiss Alps’ Best-Kept Secret,” by Los Angeles magazine.[7]
Gstaad is known for itsluxury hotels, among them the Grand Hotel Park, theAlpina Gstaad, theGstaad Palace, the Grand Hotel Bellevue, the Hotel Olden, and the Arc En Ciel. In July 2019, the Arc En Ciel came under fire for discrimination and later apologized after issuing a notice of rules directly addressed to its Indian guests.[11][12]
ManyBollywood movies in the mid 1990s and 2000s were shot in this town.
Dan Aykroyd famously said to Bo Diddley in the movie,Trading Places, "This is a Rochefoucauld,” he says, “the thinnest water-resistant watch in the world. Singularly unique, sculptured in design, hand-crafted in Switzerland, and water resistant to three atmospheres. This is the sports watch of the 1980s. Six thousand, nine hundred and fifty-five dollars retail! It tells time simultaneously in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad!"
InSeason 5, Episode 9 ofNew Girl,Schmidt and Winston get into an argument about which one of them has actually been to Gstaad. Regan (played byMeghan Fox)interjects and tells them to tell the truth about whether either of them has actually ever been to Gstaad. Feelinginsecure, Winston pressesRegan about whether she has been to Gstaad and she responds by saying "No I haven't been there. Should I beashamed of that or can we all just tell the truth about whether we've been to "Shtaad."
"Gstaad Guy", an internet personality, parodies the nouveau riche and old money residents of Gstaad.[34]
InFrasier episode "Murder Most Maris", Niles encounters a photo of himself and socialite divorced wife Maris in front of the fictional Experimental Liposuction Center in Gstaad. He sighs that was where they went on their honeymoon.
InFargo season 3, the antagonistV.M. Varga is quoted saying "You've no idea what rich means. Rich is a fleet of private planes filled with decoys to mask your scent. It's a banker in Wyoming and another in Gstaad."
In the 1984Dynasty episode "New Lady in Town," Dominique Deveraux (played byDiahann Carroll) states "You were actually expelled from a boarding school in Gstaad and you worked for several months as an artist's model in Hamburg of all places" to Alexis Carrington-Colby (played byJoan Collins) who replies, "Wrong, it was Brussels of all places and this is all absolute trivia."
^"Climate Norm Value Tables".Climate diagrams and normals from Swiss measuring stations. Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss). Archived fromthe original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved31 January 2013. The weather station elevation is 1,045 meters above sea level.
