Page 6 - AIT0619_TreCime

SERIEN IKONEN BEWOHNEN • LIVING IN ICONS

cept comes from the artist Rudolf Stolz, born in Bolzano, who also painted the fa-
mous Death Dance fresco in the cemetery of Sesto. In the Three Peaks he realised
wall coverings, banisters and murals. The architect trusted him completely: "If Rudolf
Stolz paints it, I don't need to see a design." The house has been owned by the fa-
mily since it was built in 1929; today under the leadership of Waltraud Watschinger,
who heads the Three Peaks in the third generation. At first it was only intended for
summer tourism. Through Hans Watschinger's friendship with the mountain pioneer
Heinrich Harrer, whom he was later able to hire as a ski instructor for the house, it
was further developed into a winter sports hotel.

A classic of alpine modernism, without false alpine baroque

Contrary to the romantic idea of the Alps, Holzmeister planned the house almost enti-
rely without balconies, which underlines the outwardly sculptural appearance of the
building in its mass and expressiveness. "Building a house with a balcony is no art -
building a house without balconies is the art," Waltraud Watschinger quotes the archi-
tect. The result is a classic of alpine modernism - without false alpine baroque and kit-
schy geraniums! As you pass through the colourfully lacquered, massive wooden en-
Die Blaue Bar ist der reizvollste Raum des Hauses. • The Blue Bar is the most charming room in the hotel. trance door with its massive lever handle over which the year of its construction, 1929,
is emblazoned, a tiny peep window gives you a glimpse of the cosy atmosphere that
welcomes visitors inside the building. As soon as you enter the house, you can see the
width and depth of the building at a glance, despite its huge dimensions. "The simple
Clemens Holzmeister gelang es, Tradition und Moderne ... • Clemens Holzmeister succeeded in combining ... orientation was a concern for the architect," says Watschinger. In the central hotel lobby
area with a view out into the Fischleintal valley, one is comfortably embraced by a
wood-panelled room and would prefer to settle immediately in one of the massive, ele-
gant armchairs designed by the architect. If the guests come from skiing in the after-
noon, the homemade cake available there will intensify this desire many times over.
From the hall on one side you enter the reading and fireplace rooms, some of which
are decorated with murals by Rudolf Stolz. Originally, the restaurant for the nannies
and chauffeurs of the gentlemen who dined in the opposite wing was located here next
to the "Schwemme", i.e. the taproom. The dining room extends over the entire depth
of the building. Here the day begins and ends still today for the guests under massive,
wagon-wheel-shaped, colourfully painted candlesticks. Torch-bearing wooden figures
dance on it in a circle and illuminate the hall with dignity. The tables are decorated
with fresh flowers from Belluno; the almost 90-year-old senior boss personally takes
care of this. Regional dishes or fresh fish from Grado are eaten with cutlery also desi-
gned by the architect, the knife edges of which are more reminiscent of cake shovels.
The initials of the hotel founder - HW - are graphically beautifully designed and embos-
Fotos: Michael Ragaller upside down, the initials HW also symbolize the terms "Hotel" and "Three Peaks".
sed in the cutlery or can also be found on bathing textiles and stationery. When viewed

Sensitively preserved family inheritance, led in 3. generation

... in einer zeitlos gültigen Form zu verbinden. • ... tradition and modern architecture in a timelessly valid form. One might think that the architect had tried with elegant massiveness in many details to
create an antithesis to the finely chiselled architecture of architects like Carlo Scarpa,
which can be found nearby. The rooms in the Drei Zinnen Hotel are simply furnished,
but the sculpturally designed building offers a varied view of the fascinating surroun-
dings. Thanks to the fact that Waltraud Watschinger sensitively preserves the legacy of
her grandfather, the building is still very well preserved in its once built intention. Alle-
gedly contemporary demands are fortunately resisted with the right feeling for the origi-
nal architecture. Only the dance bar "Hölle" (hell) in the basement, originally furnished
by Holzmeister, does not exist anymore. It gave way to a sensitively integrated sauna and
wellness area. Through the heavy masonry arches of the building foundation, guests step
outside between sauna sessions and enjoy the magnificent mountain scenery.

Foto: Hotel Drei Zinnen Kohlezeichnung zum Hotel Drei Zinnen in Sexten

von Clemens Holzmeister aus dem Jahr 1926
Charcoal drawing for the Drei Zinnen Hotel in
Sexten by Clemens Holzmeister from 1926

064 • AIT 6.2019