FiliTour Nr. 1: Haus J.P. Schmidt

Colonel J. P. Schmidt - successful entrepreneur

Jan Peter Schmidt came from a well-established and well-to-do family. In 1897, at the age of only 24, he took over the horse mail over the Albula Pass with around 180 horses and corresponding personnel. Two years later, most of the horses had to be slaughtered because of a contagious disease. Since they were not insured, the damage was immense. In addition, in 1903 there was the opening of the Albula Railway - the stagecoach service was suddenly superfluous. Schmidt did not hesitate for long and built up a flourishing timber trade with the sawmill in Bellaluna.  

In 1935, J.P. Schmidt lost a considerable part of his fortune when the Bank für Graubünden was dissolved, as he was liable with private capital as a member of the Board of Directors.

Inns in Filisur

Joos Schmidt, the father of J.P. Schmidt, ran the inn "Zum Hirschen" here until around 1900. After that, the house was modernized. The surrounding buildings served as an administration (No. 14), a horse stable (No. 11) and a bakery (No. 7).

Today, there are still four restaurants and hotels in Filisur, none of which are located in the centre of the village.

In the audio, Anna Uffer, who has been running the Hotel Grischuna at the train station with her husband Reto Uffer since 1992, talks about her motivation and the challenges. The audio file can be found at the back of the pictures.