Gstaad

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The world famous Gstaad Palace Hotel
The world famous Gstaad Palace Hotel

Gstaad (pronounced [ˈkʃtaːd̥]) (Population: 2500) is a village located (46°28′N, 7°17′E) 1050 m above sea level, in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Berne in southwestern Switzerland. Gstaad, part of the municipality of Saanen, is known as one of the most exclusive and expensive ski resorts in the world,[1] and has also been the location of Institut Le Rosey's winter campus since 1916.[2]

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[edit] Tourism

Gstaad is known for its extremely luxurious hotels and shopping, high-society nightlife, fine dining, excellent service, and international stars. It is also among one of the largest ski areas in the European Alps. The town is located in the Bernese Oberland in the Swiss Alps.

Gstaad, named "the Place" by Time Magazine in the 1960s,[3] is widely known for its famous part-time residents and vacationers.[4] Current longtime residents of Gstaad include: Alinghi yachting syndicate boss Ernesto Bertarelli, actresses Julie Andrews and Elizabeth Taylor,[5] Formula One Holdings owner Bernie Ecclestone,[6] legendary French actress Jeanne Moreau,[7] iconic French singer Johnny Hallyday,[8] and columnist Taki Theodoracopulos.[9] Former famous residents include actor Roger Moore and director Roman Polanski, violinist Yehudi Menuhin, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, modern artist Balthus, and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.[10] Famous regular visitors to Gstaad have included Michael Jackson, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, writer William F. Buckley, Jr. [11], and a highly publicised romantic ski holiday of Paris Hilton and Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis in December 2005.[12][13] Other occasional visitors in the past include Margaret Thatcher, actors David Niven and Peter Sellers, real estate entrepreneur Richard White as well as King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.[14] In January 1983, King Juan Carlos fell while skiing in Gstaad and cracked his pelvis, immobilising him for a month.[15]

[edit] Promenade

Gstaad town centre
Gstaad town centre

The middle of the village has been a carfree zone since 1997. Along the Promenade that has been thus created are numerous highly-exclusive shops, restaurants and hotels. Lending romantic charm to the village are the houses, which are all built in the traditional chalet style.

[edit] Regular events

In Gstaad, the following regular events are held:

Every December at The Gstaad Palace Hotel, Bonhams auctioneers hold an exclusive Ferrari & Maserati auction which draws in the rich and famous from around the world.

[edit] In popular culture

Gstaad is featured prominently in the 1975 film Return of the Pink Panther,[16] and in a memorable line in the 1983 comedy film Trading Places, where character Louis Winthorpe III played by Dan Aykroyd says, "Look, it tells time simultaneously in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad."[17] Gstaad was also part of a memorable dialogue in a 1984 episode of the American television series Dynasty between characters Dominique Deveraux (played by Diahann Carroll) and Alexis Colby (played by Joan Collins).[18] In the Movie Scent of a Woman, Philip Seymour Hoffman harasses other characters about how to pronounce 'Gstaad', saying that if you do not pronounce it with a hard G sound, people will assume you are a tourist, however this is completely false.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Coming Up Chic (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  2. ^ The Gstaad Winter Campus (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  3. ^ Coming Up Chic (March 1, 1963). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  4. ^ Coming Up Chic (March 1, 1963). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  5. ^ Gstaad: Just a simple Swiss village - for Liz Taylor and Julie Andrews (April 16, 1989). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  6. ^ Celebrities in Switzerland: Bernie Ecclestone (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  7. ^ Switzerland Is Yours (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  8. ^ James Blunt planning Swiss move (January 17, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  9. ^ Taki on Gstaad summers in the line of fire (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  10. ^ Switzerland Is Yours (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  11. ^ He Knew He Was Right (March 10, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
  12. ^ News for Paris Hilton (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  13. ^ Top Ten Properties (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  14. ^ Happy Birthday Menuhin Festival (July 20, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  15. ^ Juan Carlos of Spain (January 17, 1983). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  16. ^ Return of the Pink Panther (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  17. ^ Memorable Quotes for Trading Places (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
  18. ^ Memorable Quotes for Dynasty (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.