Horace Edouard Davinet is considered one of the most important architects of the Grand Hotel era in the Alps. Together with his brother-in-law, the master builder Friedrich Studer, he ran a successful architectural practice in Interlaken, which he soon took over on his own. Buildings such as the Hotel Schreiber on Rigi Kulm (1875), the Hotel Giessbach (1875, 1884), the Kursaal Heiden (1874) and the Hotel Beau-Rivage in Interlaken (1873) are—or were—evidence of his work. He was also commissioned with projects in Germany, France, Corsica and Spain.

Davinet’s work in the city of Bern itself, where he built numerous villas and was involved in planning the Kirchenfeld neighbourhood, is less well known. In 1891, he was appointed director of the Museum of Fine Arts and served as an advisor and expert throughout Switzerland. Davinet proved to be a key figure in the history of 19th-century architecture in Bern and Switzerland. His work and his achievements as an architect, urban planner and developer are of national significance.

Author’s abstract
Alexandra Ecclesia is an architectural historian who grew up in Bern. The book is a revised version of her final thesis at the University of Lausanne. Since 2018, she has been working for the City of Lausanne’s heritage department.