The new station designed by Herzog & de Meuron on the Chäserrugg - the easternmost peak of the seven Churfirsten Massif in eastern Switzerland - was officially inaugurated in 2015.
The Chäserrugg at 2’262 meters (7’420 feet) is the easternmost peak of the seven mountains that make up the Churfirsten Massif. It rises up gently from the Toggenburg to the north and becomes a steep cliff to the south, plummeting almost 6’250 ft down to the Lake of Walensee.
Ever since the cable car went into operation, the restaurant has been provisionally located in the housing originally built for the construction workers. Now it has been torn down to make room for a new restaurant. The new structure in solid wood on a concrete foundation has been completed after only one summer and one winter of construction. It was prefabricated by local craftspeople in the valley and assembled on top of the mountain in the course of a summer. The interior was completed the following winter.
The restaurant is a long, flexible space, its atmosphere marked by the repetitive woodwork from locally sourced spruce trees. The low-hung roof resting on closely placed columns is the dominant element of the building with a covered terrace in front. Glazed on three sides, the restaurant offers spectacular views of the scenery. Niches with built-in benches and tables occupy the fourth side of the room. Each niche has its own window and thus its own framed view of the mountainscape.
