Hospitality and Art Under One Roof
Meet Elisabeth Knobel who, transcending local suspicions, successfully
combines international contemporary art with warm hospitality
in her little country inn «Eintracht» at the foot of Mt Glärnisch
in Switzerland’s narrow Glarner valley.
When evening falls, Mt Glaernisch looms like a fortress guarding
the village. It’s cool in the garden of the «Eintracht». A chestnut
tree leaf flutters onto a slate-topped table. To the south, Mt
Toedi glows in the last rays of day. The proprietress’s name is
Elisabeth, not Verena. But if you had to look for a Glarner woman
who today could embody the spirit of Verena, the lady of the legend,
who climbed up Mt Glaernisch defying all warnings, to plant a
garden in the rocky and icy desert up there, perhaps you would
find her in the tiny village of Schwaendi on the sunny terrace
at the foot of that mighty mountain.
Flight from the narrow confines
Elisabeth’s grandfather was one of the factory hands who day after
day descended into the valley to work in the fabric-printing works;
his little hessian sack containing a packed lunch bobbing on his
back. Wishing to spare his wife the drudgery in the factory, one
hundred years ago he opened this inn, the sixth in the tiny village.
Initially she served only schnapps and cider because the wine
dealers and beer brewers, bowing to pressure from the other five
inn-keepers, refused to supply the «Eintracht» with wine and beer.
But Magdalena Knobel was a tenacious woman, and one day there
appeared a sign on the door proudly proclaiming «Freshly brewed
beer daily.»
Her granddaughter Elisabeth fled the confines of the valley like
many other young Glarner people, became a flight attendant for
Swissair, jetted all round the globe until she «didn’t know where
else to go in the world.» Ten years ago she returned and took
over running the «Eintracht» – the third generation of women to
do so.
Art instead of parking lot
Elisabeth planted her garden in front of the inn. There, where
other owners would have laid down an asphalt parking lot, she
planted flowers, shrubs and vegetables. She commissioned local
Glarner artist Walter Dobler to erect a Pieta of wood as well
as an unusual barbecue. Controversial artist Mario Comensoli painted
her pub sign and for the occasion of an exhibition the master
from Zürich completed tiny provocative sketches which fitted neatly
into the narrow wooden panels between the windows – at least size-wise!
That caused tongues to wag in the village. At the regulars‘ table
in the restaurant «Krone», the village’s second pub, they nicknamed
the «Eintracht» «the green branch», alluding to the unconventional
style of running the place.
Then followed the art showings, authors‘ readings and concerts
– attended mainly by newcomers to the region, the young and the
slightly alternative types. Suspicious of anything different,
the locals kept their distance.
«Some came anyway.» says Elisabeth. «Others would love to come
but daren’t.» But that doesn’t stop «dr Chaepp», the secret king
of the village, Swiss Folks Party’s Kaspar Zimmermann from frequenting
Elisabeth’s establishment. «The art exhibitions and other events
are organized for purely selfish reasons. It would be too boring
here otherwise.» Elisabeth says.
She is still torn between the world outside and the world behind
the mountains – a widespread
feeling among the Glarner inhabitants. «Once a week I just have
to drive over to Zuerich to go shopping, go out, and try not to
run up too many bills!»
Insider tip
Three years ago when the local council created difficulties in
issuing a building permit for a new wing to the «Eintracht», the
second «Chaepp» in the Glarner government, Kaspar Rhyner, stepped
in and exerted his influence, and the addition to the main building
now stands proudly – the walls painted by Elisabeth herself.
The facade is embellished with a stylized lotus blossom design
by Mexican artist Sarit Alter; the slate objects created by Claude
Vanomsen, an artist of French origin. The walls in the interior
of the pub are adorned with collages done by German artist Gisela
Ruf.
In every room of the house there is at least one original painting
of Mario Comensoli’s for which Elisabeth even had to raise her
mortgage! The new guest rooms are treated like an insider tip
by the homesick Glarner emigrant descendants who come over from
the USA to enjoy their father country. This is the one place in
Glarner country that one absolutely has to have been to. The wide
outside world enters the narrow Swiss valley!
Glarner tenacity
The inhabitants of the poor hillside village of Schwaendi have
always been «special». It’s been said that when the larger town
of Glarus went up in flames in 1861, the «Schwaender» hurried
down the hill to help put out the fire. In return for their services
they salvaged whatever window shutters were still usable and carried
them up to their village. That’s just one of the explanations
offered for the fact that all the cottages in Schwaendi sport
mismatched shutters.
The tenacity with which Elisabeth goes her own way defying everyone
and everything is reminiscent of the strong-willed Verena of the
legend. Does she agree?
«God forbid!» she cries. But she does concede that she can be
hard-headed. Sometimes from sheer over-enthusiasm she jumps into
things head first without realising she may have trod on someone’s
toes.
Mountain solitude
Looking back, Elisabeth doubts she would do it all over again,
no matter how lovely it is there. «You’re imprisoned in these
Glarner mountains.» But then she laughs, tiny lines playing around
her eyes and declares: «I’m a happy inn-keeper and I’m proud that
the «Eintracht» continues.» When the sky is grey, the inn empty,
she sits at the table, a solitary figure smoking a cigarette or
knitting or filing documents. Sometimes her inn could also be
named «Solitude.»
This article first appeared in «Der Brueckenbauer» Switzerland
on 6th December 1995.
Written by Emil Zopfi
Translated by Gezina Elzinga