In the summer of 1873, the first guests spent their summer holidays in a farmhouse on the Schlegeli, which is the area on the northern outskirts of Adelboden health resort. A year before, Reverend Karl Rohr from Bern and teacher Christian Hari (1834 - 1897) from Adelboden had agreed that a few rooms in the Hari's house should be set apart for the Rohr family. Both the teacher (with an annual wage of 150 Francs) and the minister of Bern Cathedral adhered to the agreement, which was the beginning of today's "Hari im Schlegeli" Hotel.
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It was in the year of 1878: On Tuesday, 11 June, the craftsment gathered for the "Deckaabe" (roofing ceremony) in the newly built "Stöckli", a few steps southwest of the farmhouse. A good meal and a 16-page "roofing poem", composed and recited by the pastor, kept the workers awake. Christian Hari now owned two buildings in which his meanwhile international guests could spend their holidays in the Engschtligen Valley,
"the world's snug".
When the road between Frutigen and Adelboden was opened in 1884, tourism in our beautiful mountain valley increased considerably. Christian Hari had the great pleasure to have two additional guesthouses built. In 1897 Johannes Hari (1864 - 1938) followed in his father's footsteps as the second leader of the hotel. Under his leadership, the Hari im Schlegeli Hotel reached the peak of its success, now having 200 beds available. In an advertising leaflet of the early 20th century it says: "Christian Establishment; Summer and Winterseason; 4500 feet above sea level; 200 beds". In 1914 the number of guesthouses belonging to the hotel reached nine, with some 130 rooms. In summer 1917, Johannes Hari billed one of his faithful guests as follows:
"Bill for Dr. Sutermeister: 14-day stay, à 5 1/2 fr = 77; light 1.40; extra 18.50; total 96.90."
The two worldwars were times of deep recessions. During the 1920s, the hotel flourished again for a short period of time. Shortly after Johannes Hari had appointed his son Fritz (1899 - 1997) as his successor, Hitler seized power in Germany. The political situation reduced the demand for our hotel drastically, and practically brought it to an end from 1939 on. In the 1940s, the hotel sheltered internees and children from war zones who were in need of recreation. Unfortunately, this was not very beneficial for the state of the buildings. Fritz Hari, the third leader, reports:
"After these quarterings, the houses looked like Egypt after the locust plague."
The economic revival around the middle of the last century led to a continual boom of our hotel. With the fourth generation in view, the corporate organisation was changed in 1960 into a 100 % family-owned stock corporation. In 1979, leadership was transferred to Konrad and Christa Hari-Assmann who had worked for the hotel for 16 years.
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House "Tobias", with 26 now modern and comfortable rooms, was added in 1978. The newly renovated
"Stöckli" followed in 1984 and the "Stammhaus" in 1993. Thanks to the construction of the
"Eschensaal" - a conference hall seating 100 to 150 people - in the year 2002, we are now able to meet the space requirements even for larger events.
Just in time for the winter season of 2004/2005, Nikola und Bernd Zanker started their important employment as hotel managers. The administrative board of the Hari Family Stock Company is very grateful to have found in them responsible successors for Christa und Konrad Hari.
