FiliTour Nr. 4: Haus Lorenz

Success in a foreign country

For centuries, many Grisons have emigrated abroad to escape the economic hardship of their homeland. Pol Lorenz (1761-1806) emigrated to Prague and opened his first coffee house "Zum goldenen Brunnen" in 1785. The Renaissance building still stands in a prominent location on the famous Karlsgasse. The success enabled him and his family to buy this upper-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 recognized naturalist.

The last permanent resident 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 guardhouse of the Swiss poor.

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