Alexander Spengler & the healing climate

The young Alexander Spengler initially came to Switzerland against his will - as a political refugee. In 1848, the law student took part in the March Revolution in his hometown of Mannheim. When this failed, he fled to Switzerland and enrolled in medicine at the University of Zurich. After completing his studies, he took up a position as a rural doctor in the small farming village of Davos.

Spengler quickly noticed that none of the villagers suffered from the then-feared tuberculosis. While the epidemic claimed tens of thousands of lives each year in many European towns, Davos remained untouched. Spengler attributed this to the unique high-altitude climate. He shared his findings with colleagues both at home and abroad, thus making the healthy Davos mountain climate famous throughout Europe. As early as 1860, the first guesthouse for spa guests opened in Davos. Spengler also developed a rest cure for tuberculosis patients. It consisted primarily of plenty of sleep – on terraces or even in the cowshed – as well as Valtellina wine. The method was considered promising and made Davos world-famous. Soon, tuberculosis patients from all over the world were traveling to the former farming village. In doing so, they laid the foundation for today's Davos – the highest town in Europe with an international reputation.

Among the spa guests was Katia Mann, the wife of the world-famous author Thomas Mann. Her stay in the sanatorium and the time that Thomas Mann spent with her in Davos inspired the writer for his masterpiece «The Magic Mountain». Other sanatorium guests and visitors did not write about Davos, but brought their culture with them - for example ice hockey from England. And here too the Spengler family was to create a monument: Like Alexander Spengler, his son Karl was also a doctor and a great sports lover. In 1922 he founded the world-famous Spengler Cup, today the oldest ice hockey tournament in existence.