Synonymous with glamour, the prestigious resort of St Moritz also claims to be one of the first towns in Europe to popularise winter sports. The town grew around the church of St Maurice - also known as "the church of the springs'' - which became an important Christian pilgrimage site. But visitors only began to arrive in significant numbers from about the 1840s.
Johannes Badrutt, owner of the Kulm Hotel, kicked off the town's status as one of Europe's premier resorts in 1864. He offered a group of British tourists the chance to spend their winter on holiday there; this was a very unusual prospect at the time. The tourists were so impressed that the concept of a winter holiday - and therefore a winter resort - was born. St Moritz has been incredibly popular as a year-round resort ever since, and is known to attract many wealthy holidaymakers from all over the world.
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The existence of the town, dedicated to Saint Maurice, can be traced back to the late eleventh century. The discovery of therapeutic hot water springs in the region, first mentioned in fifteenth century writings, saw St Moritz rise to popularity as a summer spa resort and it was not until 1864 century that an entrepreneurial hotelier in the town invited four summer guests to return in the winter months promising to pay for their travel and lodgings if they did not find St Moritz as agreeable in winter as it was in summer. Within two decades of this event, the town had gained widespread recognition as a winter holiday destination, hosting Switzerland's first Alpine curling and golf tournaments, and ice-skating championships in the 1880s.
Since then St Moritz hasn't looked back. Today, visitors will find a resort that combines fine historic architecture, some of it medieval, with modern and glamourous shopping streets, museums, galleries and other attractions and an abundance of natural beauty thanks to the town's lakeside setting surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
Leaning Tower
Pisa in Italy does not hold the monopoly on leaning towers. St Moritz's iconic and Romanesque leaning tower is all that remains of the twelfth century Church of St. Mauritius which was demolished in 1890, and lists at a drunken angle of 5.5 degrees from the perpendicular.
Via Serlas
At the heart of the town, Via Serlas is one of the world's most exclusive shopping streets featuring outlets from the best known fashion houses, retail stores, winter sports outfitters and the largest Swiss chocolatiers emporium in St Moritz.
Engadine Museum
This superb museum recreates the interiors of typical houses of the Engadine Valley throughout history and features exhibits including traditional clothing, utensils, tools and furniture as well as artefacts from the Neotlithic, Bronze and Roman ages unearthed during archaeological excavations of the valley.
Cresta Run
The legendary Cresta Run, a skeleton toboggan racing course hewn from ice and covering a distance of 1,214 metres, was first constructed in 1884 and is rebuilt from scratch every year. Spectacular races and practice runs take place daily from the end of December until March.
More about St Moritz
Diavolezza
With a name meaning 'She-Devil', Diavolezza is 9,770
feet (2,978m) tall, and offers commanding views over the
surrounding area. The mountain is easily accessible by cable
car.
Segantini Museum
Renowned artist Giovanni Segantini lived the last five
years of his life in St Moritz, and whilst here he created a number
of celebrated paintings depicting the mountainous landscape. The
museum contains a number of his works, and is listed as a Swiss
Heritage Site of National Significance.
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