Mandarin Oriental Savoy

Johannes Baur, originally a journeyman baker from Vorarlberg, Austria, immigrated to Zürich in the 1820s. He initially ran the Zum Kirschbaum in Marktgasse, opposite the confectioner David Sprüngli, co-founder of Lindt & Sprüngli. In 1836, Baur bought the building in Zürich which had previously served as a parsonage and opened Café Baur right next to the city's most important post office. Together with his wife, Anna Knechtli, Baur converted the house into a hotel between 1836 and 1838 according to plans by architect Daniel Pfister, 140 beds and stables for 36-40 horses were available at the time. The chronicle of 1845 contains the names of various notable people of the time who stayed at the Hotel Baur en Ville, such as Friedrich Wilhelm von Bismarck and Anselm von Rothschild, Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Liszt. From 1877 to 1878, the house and the restaurant Orsini were rebuilt. After Baur's death, Heinrich Brunner took over the hotel and in 1899 sold it to the property speculator Jakob Lassmann from Istanbul. In 1899, the architects Alfred Chiodera and Theophil Tschudy approved a reconstruction and extension project in the French Renaissance style, but it was not carried out. Lassmann's speculations led to financial ruin and the hotel was sold to Jakob Schwarz. In 1907, under Schwarz, the conversion and extension was commissioned from the architects Pfleghard & Haefeli and 170 rooms were reopened on 13 June 1908. Since then, the hotel has borne the name Savoy. In the 1990s, the architects Fässler & Partner carried out various conversion work during ongoing operations, such as the renovation of the facade and roof in 1997, the conversion of 90 guest bathrooms and the redesign of the Orsini restaurant in 1998, the redesign of the banqueting and guild hall in 1999 and the redesign of 30 guest rooms and replacement of the canopy at the main entrance in 2000. The terrace was reopened in 2018 as an extension of the Savoy Bar. Today the hotel has 104 rooms and suites and 170 employees. Baur en Ville should not be confused with Baur au Lac, on Lake Zürich, which was also built by Baur in 1844. == Architecture and construction ==

From 1836 to 1838, the master builder and architect Daniel Pfister erected a regular, block-like structure, divided by Ionic columns and pilasters with Ionic capitals. During the 1907 conversion, the hotel was extended by two storeys, preserving the architectural style of the original building. Instead of the formerly continuous loggia, all the rooms behind the main façade were fitted with verandas and the pillars on the ground floor were narrowed down. The new floors were joined together by pillars with plant capitals that spanned several storeys. The top floor is distinguished by a meandering stone railing and pharaoh figures supporting the beams. In the 1970s, the building had to be completely demolished in accordance with fire protection guidelines, but also for reasons of comfort; conversion was not possible. At the same time, however, the street scene, consisting of the Tiefenhofhäusern, the Kreditanstalt and the Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville on Paradeplatz, was to be retained. The contract for the construction was awarded to Karl Steiner AG, which removed the façade step by step, erected a new building and then rebuilt the historic façade. Inside, the hotel is therefore built in the style of the 1970s, while from the outside it still shows the historic facade. ==Gallery==

Baur en Ville 1840.png|1840 Baur en Ville 1895 Speisesaal.jpeg|Dining room, 1895 Baur en Ville 1897.jpeg|1897 Baur en Ville 1910.jpeg|Post-expansion, 1910 == See also ==

• Walter Baumann: Zu Gast im alten Zürich. München 1992, • Hans Schulthess: Savoy Hotel Baur en Ville Zürich 1838–1938. Schulthess, Zürich 1938. == References ==