Bürgenstock: Bürgenstock Festival

Mountain

A power place above the Lake of the Four Cantons

The 900-m high Bürgenstock mountain is reputed to have some of the best views in Switzerland and is the country’s best-known power place. The mountain peninsula juts spectacularly from the central Swiss canton of Nidwalden into Lake Lucerne. Near the summit, high above the picturesque Lake of the Four Cantons, lies the village of Bürgenstock – one of Switzerland’s holiday spa resorts with the richest traditions. Located in the midst of pristine nature, it overlooks five lakes, Central Switzerland and the huge area of the Swiss Plateau. The view stretches across the lake all the way to the snow-capped peaks of the Bernese Oberland.

In the 19^th century the village of Bürgenstock was turned into a hotel resort. During the 20^th century its fantastic location drew illustrious spa guests such as Konrad Adenauer, Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Kofi Annan, Clara Haskil, Georges Simenon, Sean Connery, Rod Stewart, Otto Preminger and Helena Rubinstein. The Bürgenstock with its many luxury hotels and famous cliff path became legendary.

People seeking a place to relax can still find an oasis of calm here today, away from everyday stress and the sound of traffic, with wonderful options for excursions and walking.

Chapel

Small but legendary

The cliff path starts at the historic 19^th-century Bürgenstock Chapel. Made famous as the place where the actress Audrey Hepburn married Mel Ferrer in 1954, today its atmosphere and acoustics for chamber music concerts arranged by the Bürgenstock Festival Foundation are unrivalled.

The chapel was built in 1897 for the Comtesse Tancrède de la Baume, née Pozzo di Borgo, who had a summer residence in the hotel village on the Bürgenstock. The chapel was a replica of the design of the St. Jost chapel in the parish of Ennetbürgen, the oldest Gothic place of worship in the Swiss canton of Nidwalden, among other things accurately reproducing its multi-coloured gothic wooden ceiling down to the last detail.

Next to the chapel is the “Totentanz” sculpture by the Swiss sculptor Hans Jörg Limbach (1928-1990).

The chapel is the privately owned by the non-profit-making Frey-Fürst-Bürgenstock Foundation.

Capacity: around 60 seats

Honegg

Hotel Villa Honegg im Winter mit Bergpanorama im Hintergrund

[Translate to English:] Hotel Villa Honegg Cheminee

[Translate to English:] Hotel Villa Honegg Aussenpool im Winter

Music and pleasure

Enjoy exclusive service 914 metres above sea level

The Hotel Villa Honegg is a 5-star superior hotel with 23 beautifully furnished rooms. High above the Lake of the Four Cantons you can find relaxation and privacy in a unique setting.

The Hotel Villa Honegg has been a partner of the Bürgenstock Festival since 2013. The room in which concerts in the annual chamber music festival are held can seat up to 80 people. After the concerts, guests can linger awhile and enjoy the delicious culinary delights on offer.

Capacity: around 80 seats

Directions

Travelling by car

Bürgenstock Chapel:
Motorway A2 from Lucerne towards Gotthard, take the “Stansstad exit, then follow signposts for “Fürigen/Bürgenstock”.

Hotel Villa Honegg:
Motorway A2 from Lucerne towards Gotthard, take the “33 Stans-Süd” exit, continue towards Ennetbürgen, then at the crossroads next to Ennetbürgen post office follow signs to “Villa Honegg”.

Arriving by public transport

Bürgenstock Chapel:
a) By train to Stansstad station, then take bus number 321 to «Bürgenstock Zentrum», ca. 1 minute by foot to Bürgenstock Chapel.
g) Bürgenstock Shuttle: from Lucerne by boat to Kehrsiten, then take the cable car up the Bürgenstock: information on the Bürgenstock Shuttle and timetable

Hotel Villa Honegg:
a) By train to Stansstad station, then take bus number 321 to Obbürgen, branching point Trogen, ca. 20-minute walk to Villa Honegg.
g) Bürgenstock Shuttle: from Lucerne by boat to Kehrsiten, then take the cable car up the Bürgenstock – from here a transfer to the Hotel Villa Honegg can be arranged. Information on the Bürgenstock Shuttle and timetable