A refugee went to Davos in 1853
One person that has contributedmuch to the development of Davos was Alexander Spengler. He was born in 1827 in Mannheim (Germany) as the oldest child in a family with 9 children. In 1846 he started a study of Jura at the University of Heidelberg.
In 1848 he interrupted his studies, which he did not like much, to join the revolutionary army. This rebellion was no success and his division of the army realized a narrow escape over the border of Switzerland. There he had to remain because soldiers like him who were captured in Germany were shot dead without trial.
More than 11.000 refugees from different countries came with him to Switzerland. Many of them got amnesty in their country and returned but not the soldiers from Germany. So in 1851 there still were 500 refugees in Switzerland.
In 1848 he interrupted his studies, which he did not like much, to join the revolutionary army. This rebellion was no success and his division of the army realized a narrow escape over the border of Switzerland. There he had to remain because soldiers like him who were captured in Germany were shot dead without trial.
More than 11.000 refugees from different countries came with him to Switzerland. Many of them got amnesty in their country and returned but not the soldiers from Germany. So in 1851 there still were 500 refugees in Switzerland.
Refugee in Switzerland
The Central government decided that each kanton (province) of Switzerland had to accept a fixed number of refugees. Firstly it was decided that all refugees without papers could get the right to stay for a year in the Kanton they were assigned to but soon this decision changed because of the costs and they tried to send these refugees to Amerika. To avoid this, Spengler went to Chur where his friend, Hans Hold, from the University of Heidelberg was living. His father had high prestige as politician in his kanton Graubünden to which also Davos belonged. Besides this man several other people important in Graubünden were supporting him in his request to stay in Switzerland. The kanton Graubünden was willing to offer him asylum when he would hand over an amount of 1500 florins within 4 weeks. The Kanton of Zurich was against this arrangement. His friends helped him with this money as well and so the kanton Zürich accepted this arrangement and also his wish to study in this town as long as the eventual costs would be covered by the kanton Graubünden.
I tell this story because of the striking similarities with the problems of present refugees in Europe.
The Central government decided that each kanton (province) of Switzerland had to accept a fixed number of refugees. Firstly it was decided that all refugees without papers could get the right to stay for a year in the Kanton they were assigned to but soon this decision changed because of the costs and they tried to send these refugees to Amerika. To avoid this, Spengler went to Chur where his friend, Hans Hold, from the University of Heidelberg was living. His father had high prestige as politician in his kanton Graubünden to which also Davos belonged. Besides this man several other people important in Graubünden were supporting him in his request to stay in Switzerland. The kanton Graubünden was willing to offer him asylum when he would hand over an amount of 1500 florins within 4 weeks. The Kanton of Zurich was against this arrangement. His friends helped him with this money as well and so the kanton Zürich accepted this arrangement and also his wish to study in this town as long as the eventual costs would be covered by the kanton Graubünden.
I tell this story because of the striking similarities with the problems of present refugees in Europe.
Doctor Spengler goes to Davos
Spengler made use of this opportunity to change his study and started a study of medicine while earning his money for daily expenses with private classes. During his stay in Zürich he was not politically active anymore but enjoyed much the cultural life in the big town. When he had finished his studies he applied for a position as country doctor in Davos as his friends advised him. This was not without problems but in 1853 he was accepted there as country doctor with a salary of 600 francs a year. He went to Davos by foot over the mountains from Chur to Davos, now this trip takes still 45 minutes by train which has to climb to 2000m.
First of all he missed the life of the big town and did not like his work because they came mainly to him with broken arms and legs and he was not well trained in this work. At some point in time he got interested in other issues when he detected that an evangelical minister Forchhammer in another village was treated for tuberculosis in the standard way: sleeping in the cow stable to purify his longs by the ammonia in the air and by drinking Veltliner wine to clean his body. He thought this was nonsense and suggested to use the more up to that date recipe to go to a milder climate to cure. The minister did so but there he died within a year.
Spengler made use of this opportunity to change his study and started a study of medicine while earning his money for daily expenses with private classes. During his stay in Zürich he was not politically active anymore but enjoyed much the cultural life in the big town. When he had finished his studies he applied for a position as country doctor in Davos as his friends advised him. This was not without problems but in 1853 he was accepted there as country doctor with a salary of 600 francs a year. He went to Davos by foot over the mountains from Chur to Davos, now this trip takes still 45 minutes by train which has to climb to 2000m.
First of all he missed the life of the big town and did not like his work because they came mainly to him with broken arms and legs and he was not well trained in this work. At some point in time he got interested in other issues when he detected that an evangelical minister Forchhammer in another village was treated for tuberculosis in the standard way: sleeping in the cow stable to purify his longs by the ammonia in the air and by drinking Veltliner wine to clean his body. He thought this was nonsense and suggested to use the more up to that date recipe to go to a milder climate to cure. The minister did so but there he died within a year.
The idea of the Heath Center Davos was born
In the meantime a seriously sick boy came in the winter to Spengler and recovered in the fresh air within a very short time. In 1860 the doctor read a book of Ahrens about the fresh air health centers in Switzerland and realized that this might be the future for Davos. This book increased already the number of visitors in Davos and some hotels had been built for these guests. In 1862 Ahrens himself also came to Davos and had a discussion with Spengler which was continued in publications about the advantages and disadvantages of Davos in the summer and the winter. Spengler defended the option that the winter time was also very good for all kinds of patients with lung diseases. This discussion was of course read by tuberculosis patients and gave them some hope where so far no cure was shown to work.
In 1883 the first two German guests came to Davos in the winter, Hugo Richter and medical doctor F.Unger. Both suffered of tuberculosis and Hugo Richter was in a very bad shape. They came from another Fresh Air Health center but there the treatment did not work. In Davos, they recovered in a very short time. This was the “proof” that Spengler was right and that Davos in the winter was ideal for tuberculosis patients to cure. Of course this miracle became known to the tuberculosis community and the patients and their company started to come to Davos and Davos started to grow. Richter himself took over the hotel where he was cured as manager and Dr. Unger went working in Davos as medical doctor for tuberculosis patients.
In the meantime a seriously sick boy came in the winter to Spengler and recovered in the fresh air within a very short time. In 1860 the doctor read a book of Ahrens about the fresh air health centers in Switzerland and realized that this might be the future for Davos. This book increased already the number of visitors in Davos and some hotels had been built for these guests. In 1862 Ahrens himself also came to Davos and had a discussion with Spengler which was continued in publications about the advantages and disadvantages of Davos in the summer and the winter. Spengler defended the option that the winter time was also very good for all kinds of patients with lung diseases. This discussion was of course read by tuberculosis patients and gave them some hope where so far no cure was shown to work.
In 1883 the first two German guests came to Davos in the winter, Hugo Richter and medical doctor F.Unger. Both suffered of tuberculosis and Hugo Richter was in a very bad shape. They came from another Fresh Air Health center but there the treatment did not work. In Davos, they recovered in a very short time. This was the “proof” that Spengler was right and that Davos in the winter was ideal for tuberculosis patients to cure. Of course this miracle became known to the tuberculosis community and the patients and their company started to come to Davos and Davos started to grow. Richter himself took over the hotel where he was cured as manager and Dr. Unger went working in Davos as medical doctor for tuberculosis patients.
An idea alone is not enough
Davos was still very small with few hotels and it was difficult to reach. There was an efficient entrepreneur needed to give Davos a real boost. That was the Dutchman Holsboer. He played a fundamental role in the process.
The information mentioned here comes from a very interesting book by J. Ferdmann Der Aufstieg von Davos (1990)
Davos was still very small with few hotels and it was difficult to reach. There was an efficient entrepreneur needed to give Davos a real boost. That was the Dutchman Holsboer. He played a fundamental role in the process.
The information mentioned here comes from a very interesting book by J. Ferdmann Der Aufstieg von Davos (1990)