2023-07-14 21:13:10
The Olympic stadium in St-Moritz (GR) is living a second life, 75 years following hosting its last Olympic Games. Swiss artist Rolf Sachs decided to make it his second home, saving the building from ruin. Visit of an extraordinary place.
In 1928 and 1948, the Graubünden resort of St. Moritz hosted the Winter Olympics. After the games, the Olympic stadium is abandoned. But in the 2000s, Swiss designer Rolf Sachs entered the fray.
>> The archive images of the St. Moritz Olympic Games in 1948: The 1948 Olympics / It was yesterday / 3 min. / March 3, 1969
“With my wife, we had taken a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Then I saw the stadium that I knew, of course. And I said to her: ‘I think I know where our house is going to be'”, recalls Rolf Sachs, who lives in Rome but is vacationing in St. Moritz, Friday in the 7:30 p.m. RTS.
Project approved at the ballot box
The transformation of the Olympic Stadium into a private home took him seven years and required a vote from the local population. “Some felt that the building should remain public. What I understand perfectly – it is the only Olympic stadium in Switzerland. So I campaigned and I won 66%,” he says.
If the volume of the building has been preserved, the interior has been completely rebuilt. “It was a ruin”, summarizes Rolf Sachs. The old locker rooms have become bedrooms, as has the stadium tower. “This is the place where the Olympic flame was and where the orchestra played the national anthems during the medal ceremonies”, describes the artist.
The interior of the former Olympic Stadium in St. Moritz converted into a private home. [RTS]
A box for its collections
Rolf Sachs’ house houses his childhood memories between Lausanne and Graubünden, in particular the Rosey chairs in Rolle, where he spent his internship. “I bought all the chairs from them.” The artist also exhibits his collections as cups, fruit of his passion for winter sports, or iconic design pieces.
“This is a beautiful frame to show objects, art, ideas…things from nature.”
With Rolf Sachs, the Olympic Stadium in St. Moritz will always retain its Olympic flame. Moreover, each time he comes there, he hoists the Olympic colors above his completely atypical house.
The Olympic colors still fly above the old Olympic stadium in St. Moritz. [RTS]
Jeanne Gerbault/rehearsal
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