FiliTour Nr. 4: Haus Lorenz

Success in a foreign country 

For centuries, many Graubünden residents have emigrated abroad to escape the economic hardship at home. Pol Lorenz (1761-1806) emigrated to Prague and opened his first coffee house "The Golden Well" in 1785. The Renaissance building still stands today in a prominent location on the famous Karlsgasse. The success made it possible for him and his family to buy this upper-middle-class house in their homeland.

His grandson, the physician and scientist Dr. Paul Lorenz (1835-1915), was one of the co-founders of the Schatzalp sanatorium in Davos and the Hotel Waldhaus in Flims. He was also a renowned naturalist.

The last permanent occupant of the house was Bignia Lorenz (1907-2004). She was president of the women's association for a long time and campaigned for women's suffrage. During the Second World War, it housed officers and in the basement there was a guard room for the Swiss Army.

In the audio, Domenica Boutilly, a descendant of the Lorenz family, talks about the significance of the house for the family to this day. The audio file can be found at the back of the pictures.