Spring is the season of hay fever and summertime is the season of homesickness. At least that’s what it is to me. The heat and humidity in both New York and DC is just unbearable over the course of entire four months and I long for that refreshing jump into the Lake of Zurich or river Limmat back home.
The Switzerland of the 70ies
It’s in moments like this that I reach for this hilarious little postcard book called Bikini in the Mountains that I want to show you. It’s full of nostalgia for the Switzerland of the 70’ies and boasts some gorgeous architecture and funny props that I only know from my grandparent’s home.
Gazing at the Mountains from the Safety of a Swimming Pool
When scrolling through the pictures you’ll quickly realize that many of the swimming pools are actually adjacent to a water body. While I would never choose a swimming pool over a lake it was very much in the Zeitgeist of the decades after WWII.
Spending your free time in an artificial landscape separate from the wilderness of uncontrolled nature gave a sense of sophistication. And from the comfort of your swimming pool area you could gaze at the rocks of the nearby mountains. It’s basically the idea of the sublime translated into recreational architecture. A Caspar David Friedrich moment of landscape architecture if you will.
And if you think about it, this is still the appeal of many fancy infinity pools today.
A New Design Task for Architects
Since the warm weather period in Switzerland – particularly in the mountains – is significantly shorter than in DC the advent of indoor swimming pools in the 60ies was embraced quickly. It opened new possibilities for the tourism industry and the hotel swimming pool became a new architectural genre.
The stunners below all feature large floor to ceiling window fronts that would open up in summertime.
Most of the photos of this book were taken for promotional brochures of hotels. They showcase not only the architectural features of the pool areas but also depict a new lifestyle.
The Orange Beach Chair
What is it with these orange beach chairs?! Check the images below – they seem to be ubiquitous! The must-have of the seventies apparently. My grandparents have one, but I didn’t realize that these were everywhere.
A quick internet research doesn’t give much clue, except for that they’re made by a brand called KURZ and that several of them are on sale on ebay. If anyone knows more about these do reach out.
Hey you made it to the bottom of the post – you have earned one of these postcards. Write me an Instagram DM with your address and your favourite image and I’ll send it to you 🙂
Photo Credits:
All images from the book Bikini in den Bergen, published by the Alpine Museum of Switzerland, 2015, Scheidegger&Spiess publishers.
Photos of the postcards are my own.