Davos Literature Promenade

Station 1: Arkadenplatz with a view of the Hotel Europe
The journey begins at the Arkadenplatz, directly in front of the door of the Kulturplatz Davos, where you will purchase the guide. With a view of the Hotel Europe, the former "Curhaus", you will hear the first recited text from the work of Beatrice Harraden ("Like Ships in the Night").

Station 2: Café Schneider's

Your next stop is Café Schneider's on the Promenade, which established itself as a popular meeting place for anti-Nazi and bohemian visitors during the Second World War. The text recited is from Klabund's book "Die Krankheit".

Station 3: Kirchner Park with a view of the Hotel Belvédère

Continue along the promenade to the world-famous Kirchner Museum. Take a moment to linger in the pretty Kirchner Park, with views across the promenade to the stately Hotel Belvédère, and listen to the texts from Erich Kästner's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice".

Station 4: Alexander Spengler Monument in the Kurpark

At the back of Kirchner Park, go down the stairs, past the sports centre, into Jules-Ferdmann-Weg in the Kurpark. You will pass the statue "Der Atmer" in honour of Alexander Spengler. Here you will hear the inspiring text about Davos by Kasimir Edschmid.

Station 5: The Blue Houses

If you continue along the Jules Ferdmann Trail, you will reach the "Blue Houses". In the northernmost house, on the 2nd floor on the right, lived Wilhelm Gustloff, Hitler's national group leader of the NSDAP foreign organisation. He was shot in his office in 1936 by the Jewish medical student David Frankenfurter. Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass wrote about this drama in his novel "Im Krebsgang".

Station 6: Symondsstrasse

Behind the "Blue Houses", still on the Jules-Ferdmann-Weg, pass the fountain with wolf, ibex and bear by Wilhelm Schwerzmann. Follow the path past the congress centre up to the promenade. Continue to the right until you reach the main entrance of the Congress Centre. On the opposite side of the street is the entrance to Symondsstrasse. The street was named after the British author John Addington Symonds. Listen to his exciting texts from the work "Our Life in the Swiss Mountains".

Station 7: Hotel Alpina

A little further along the promenade, Richtstattweg goes up on the left. The next stop is the Hotel Alpina, which you will find on Richtstattweg, corner of Rossweidstrasse. Elisabeth Schnack lived nearby from 1938 to 1945. In her work "Die Zauberlaterne: Erinnerungsbilder" she tells about her time in Davos.

Station 8: High Promenade

Continue along Richtstattweg until you reach Bobbahnstrasse. Here you keep to the left until you reach the turn-off for Hohe Promenade. From here you can listen to the text of Hugo Marti's "Davos Book of Hours".

Station 9: Waldhotel

Follow the Hohe Promenade to the Waldhotel. We recommend a stop in the beautiful hotel bar with a view of the Davos landscape. Treat yourself to a coffee or a chocolate and listen to Thomas Mann's famous text from "The Magic Mountain".

Station 10: Villa am Stein

It's best to stay put and take a look at the new building below the Waldhotel. This was once the site of the "Villa am Stein", a hostel for many artists of the time, including Thomas Mann and Robert Louis Stevenson, whose text from "Treasure Island" you will hear next.

Station 11: Hohe Promenade / Benjamin Grunder Bank

After this short rest, take the small path up behind the Waldhotel and you will reach the Hohe Promenade again, which you continue to walk southwards. Take a seat on one of the many benches set up along the path and enjoy Max Frisch's beautiful episode from "Stiller".

Station 12: Hotel Strela

Continue along the Hohe Promenade. You cross the Schatzalpbahn line and come to the end of the Hohe Promenade. Continue down Praviganweg until you reach the turnoff for Obere Strasse. Here you stand in front of the Hotel Strela and listen to Ignazio Silone's "Fontamara".

Station 13: Arcade Square

Follow Praviganweg further along Holsboerweg, which then joins Promenade. Keep left and walk along the promenade until you end up back at Arcade Square. The final episode comes from the story by Klara Zappeler ("Encounter with Else Lasker Schüler").

Review the tour in one of the cosy restaurants on the Arkadenplatz.

Arkadenplatz Davos - Promenade - Jules-Ferdmann-Weg - Promenade - Richtstattweg - Hohe Promenade - Praviganweg - Holsboerweg - Promenade - Arkadenplatz Davos