immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Altstadt

  • Lucerne is voted the most beautiful old town in Switzerland

    Lucerne is voted the most beautiful old town in Switzerland

    Lucerne has won the TRAVELBOOK AWARD 2025 for the most beautiful old town in Switzerland. According to the press release, the award ceremony on 23 September in Berlin was the fourth time that trend destinations in various categories were honoured. The award is organised by TRAVELBOOK, the largest online travel magazine, which is part of the BOOK Family of the Berlin-based Axel Springer publishing house. For the first time in 2025, it was mainly TRAVELBOOK readers who determined the winning destinations. In an online vote, 150,000 votes were cast across all categories.

    The accompanying text on Lucerne emphasises that the city centre with its sights and impressive mountain panorama is easy to explore on foot. The highlight of a visit is not just the world-famous Chapel Bridge, which connects the old and new town centres. Visitors can discover several spacious squares such as the wine market with its fountain or historic paintings on the facades of houses.

    Bad Wimpfen in Baden-Württemberg was chosen as the most beautiful old town in Germany, while Salzburg can claim the title for Austria. According to the 2025 poll, Greece is the most hospitable country in the world. Other prizes went to Auvergne in France as the best camping region in Europe and to the Okavango Delta in Botswana as the best destination for a sustainable safari. This year’s insider tip region in Europe is the High Tatras in the Polish-Slovakian border region.

    “The results not only reflect the knowledge and desires of our readers, but also provide interesting impulses for the industry,” says BOOK Family Editor-in-Chief Nuno Alves. TRAVELBOOK has been inspiring millions of people to discover new places for years.

  • Redesign in the heart of Thun

    Redesign in the heart of Thun

    Bälliz, located on the south-western edge of Thun’s old town, is home to four properties owned by the Frutiger Pensionskasse. Despite their poor condition, these historic buildings are worth preserving and some are still rented out. The special significance of the Bälliz area is reflected in its inclusion in the ISOS Federal Inventory, which characterises it as a site of national importance. As a result, its characteristic structure must be preserved as far as possible.

    Previous challenges
    A feasibility study carried out in 2015 was rejected by various federal commissions. A new five-storey building was particularly controversial. In response, a workshop was organised to define new guidelines for the development of the area and prepare a project competition.

    A winning concept emerges
    Several designs were submitted as part of a 2022 study commission. The team from Baumann Lukas Architektur impressed the judging panel with a design that ideally combined urban and atmospheric aspects. This design honours the historical structure of the region and shows respect for the typical belt-shaped parcelling. It integrates the main houses and outbuildings in a way that reflects the significance of the site. The ground floor will continue to offer areas accessible to the public, while the upper floors will mainly contain flats.

    Diversity versus monotony
    The design by Baumann Lukas Architektur stands out for its diversity. The design makes reference to the characteristic structures of the Middle Ages and provides for innovative developments, such as the public “Gässlihof”, which retains its authenticity by preserving a historic building. In contrast, other submitted designs were not as differentiated in their proposals and were not able to convince the judging panel to the same extent.

  • New use for a former prison

    New use for a former prison

    An open district of Chur is being realized on the Sennhof site. With the new Sennhof, the city is getting an extension of the old town with a broad mix of uses, writes the building construction department of the canton of Graubünden in a message. In other words: after two hundred years, the Sennhof prison will once again be freely accessible to everyone. The conversion includes residential, commercial, gastro and a hostel.

    New life in old walls
    Those responsible for the project emphasize that in future people will work and live around the newly accessible inner courtyard. In the planned new building on the Sennhof site, 29 modern old town apartments will be realized. The heart of the complex remains the actual Sennhof, which, with the tower from the 13th century, is a distinctive identification feature. In addition to the tower, the arched wing and the buildings along Sennhofstrasse will be retained. The proposed project blends the existing building structure harmoniously into the old town, according to the building construction department. The angled part of the new building means that the inner courtyard is redrawn, opens up towards the vineyard and looks more spacious overall, according to the team of architects. The overall idea is supported by the diverse and well-structured mix of uses with a restaurant, commercial, residential, cultural and student space. Except for deliveries, the area should be car-free and only open to non-motorized traffic.

    Construction is expected to start in autumn 2020. The project development company Sennhof submitted the building application for the project in mid-February 2020. The company consists of Brandis Investment AG and Miro Immo AG. The Chur office Ritter Schumacher is responsible for the architecture. The project developers provide an insight into the planned project as part of the temporary use until October 2020 on the Sennhof site in Chur. If everything goes according to plan, construction work should start in the autumn of this year. ■