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International

King, Churchill, Tyndall,

Witch and… The Pope

All Saving a Fragile Titan (part 2)

By Evelina Rioukhina construction so that the community would be
prepared to sell him land.
The Villa was built between 1900 and 1902,
The previous article considered dramatic climate and everything from chandeliers and leather
change impacts on the Aletsch glacier, a Swiss armchairs to pianos and bookcases had to be
UNESCO heritage site and Europe’s biggest carried up by mules, carriages or by hand.
glacier. This article is about the fascinating Cassel, his family, and guests - including
stories and legends surrounding this glacier major European nobility and politicians – also
– people, spirits and witches, kings, prime made the four-hour journey from the valley
ministers and even the Pope – how they have on mule or horseback. Once there, the banker
all been involved with it. The first article ended entertained them with rounds of bridge,
with the Villa Caselle, at the foot of Riederalp. excursions into the Aletsch forest, and grand
balls. Apparently, political discussions were
Villa Caselle frequent and heated. King Edward VII was
The glamorous Villa Cassel appears curiously one of Cassel’s bridge opponents, his name
out of place, perched on a mountain ridge above written simply as «The King» on a scorecard
the biggest glacier in Europe. How did it end preserved at the Villa.
up on the Furka ridge at 2,080 metres altitude?
Churchill’s Swiss retreat
The story begins with a wealthy British One frequent guest was Winston Churchill,
banker, Sir Ernest Cassel, who was advised whose father had been Cassel’s friend. He
to travel here by his doctor – the eminent Sir often came to the Villa between 1904 and
William Broadbent, Physician-Extraordinary 1913, seeking escape from the stress of being
to Queen Victoria. Cassel loved the mountain an MP and minister, as well as peace to write –
and glacier views so much that he continued he used a heavy typewriter, carried up for him

to return long after his lungs had recovered. on muleback. Local legend has it that early in
Finding the local hotel a little modest, he his first stay he was annoyed by the cowbells
decided to build a more lavish residence, when cattle were driven past the house and
setting up a charity to finance local school asked for them to be removed, saying they

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