Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & THE SPA

A fine piece of 19th century antique Dutch marquetry furniture in the hallway of the first floor of the Grand Hotel Schweizerhof in Bern, Switzerland. The origins of the hotel go back to the 18th century. The present neoclassical building was finished in 1913. During World War II the hotel and its restaurant "Jack's Brasserie" were popular venues for meetings between international spies (since Switzerland was the neutral "island" during this time in occupied Europe, Bern as its capital became THE place of international espionage). Among others Allen W. Dulles (1893-1969), the legendary Head of the CIA and at the time based with the US Embassy in Bern, was a frequent guest at "Jack's Brasserie". Years later another famous spy came to the hotel: James Bond alias 007. Parts of the film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" were shot at the hotel