For thousands of years hunters and gatherers, clergy, nobility and soldiers, traders, artists and pilgrims have travelled along the Hinterrhein over the Splügen Pass and San Bernardino to the south or from the south to the north. The oldest parts of the muleteers’ hostel in Splügen date back to 1375. The building as we know it today was built after the village fire in 1716.

For many years, however, the house remained uninhabited and threatened to fall into disrepair.

The architect, “historian and folklorist” Hans Ruedi Luzi took up the challenge in 1998 and revived the abandoned, historic building, transforming the old hostel ‘Weiss Kreuz’ into a special place to stay. The love and attachment to this region is reflected in Hans Ruedi Luzi`s architecture. Today, at the old ‘Weiss Kreuz’ hostel in Splügen, the place is the program. In the old hostel ‘Weiss Kreuz’, the spirit and history comes alive in the walls and beams of spruce and larch. Wooden stairs and floorboards thank audibly for every step, the whispering of the guests flows through the fireplaces and the old doors.The windows and panelling in the rooms have been offering cozy warmth and light for centuries to the house’s guests.

In 2002, the ‘Weiss Kreuz’ was awarded the title of ‘Historic Hotel of the Year 2002’ for its gentle renovation in keeping with the preservation of historical monuments.

For hikers, mountaineers, skiers or transients who stay at the old ‘Weiss Kreuz’  in Splügen, a special world opens up to a bygone and partly forgotten time.