Seeds of inspiration

Tim Firth writes about a centre for peace and reconciliation in the Swiss Alps

by Tim Firth 10th January 2014

Three thousand feet above Lake Geneva is a spectacular building with turrets and spires, some four hundred rooms and stunning views over the lake and the surrounding Alpine peaks.  Built in 1902 as the Caux Palace Hotel, it was the most expensive hotel in Europe and attracted the rich and famous – including Walt Disney, whose fanciful castles were inspired by this building. The hotel went bankrupt during the Great Depression of the twenties and, during the second world war, it housed British and American prisoners of war and Jewish refugees.