Villa Cassel
The Pro Natura Centre Aletsch on Riederalp – which was the first nature conservation centre in Switzerland when it opened in 1976 – is dedicated to the preservation of nature in the Aletsch Arena with its unique fauna and flora. Exhibitions, events, guided excursions during summer and much more make a visit to Villa Cassel on Riederfurka a rewarding and instructive experience.
open in summer only
At the beginning of the 20th century, the English banker Sir Ernest Cassel chose the Riederfurka for his summer retreat and built the Villa Cassel, a fashionable summer residence. During Sir Ernest Cassel's lifetime, illustrious guests came and went from the ostentatious timber-framed villa.
After the death of its builder, Villa Cassel was run as a hotel for decades. For more than 40 years now, it has been home to an environmental education and conservation centre, the Pro Natura Center Aletsch.
Following extensive refurbishment in 2019, the Pro Natura Centre is now carbon neutral in its operations. Enjoy your stay in the historical ambience, where the power is now provided by an air/water heat pump and a photovoltaic system.
On a similar note, you can also experiment with the “wheel of time” in the basement and explore the issues of “Glacier shrinkage – Climate change – Energy transition”. The new tour of the house introduces you to the man who built it, Ernest Cassel, while in the Alpine Garden you can discover the survival strategies of over 200 plants from the region.
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