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| Murten | | Print | |
| Read more like this: Switzerland Destinations | |
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There's nothing quite so European as a walled town. One such is Murten, small but centrally located, site of an historic battle, and home to one of Switzerland's great country hotels. They don't seem to be building walls around cities much these days. A few hundred years ago nearly every European town had to have one to survive, but changes in weaponry made them obsolete dynamite and machine guns beat hot olive oil and rocks every time. The fact that only a few such fortresses remain intact makes those cities all the more interesting. A well-preserved medieval Swiss town with its wall still standing is Murten (Morat, in French), located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) due west of Bern, on the southeast shore of Lake Murten, directly along the Swiss French/German language border. The town was built by the Zhringens, one of the great feudal ruling families that emerged when the Holy Roman Empire started to lose its grip. Before giving way themselves to the Hapsburg dynasty, the Zhringens founded several walled towns in addition to Murten, including Freibourg, Bern, and Thun. Murten is a destination worthy of the traveler's attention not only because of its still intact wall but also for its pleasant lakeside setting and because it is the site of one of the decisive battles in the country's history. The town is not large and can be seen in a day walk the streets of the town, climb a stairway and explore the ramparts, visit the Historical Museum but a number of pleasant destinations are nearby. The town's railway station is walkable from all the hotels reviewed here and only a short train ride away are: Bern, the capital; the medieval city of Freibourg; and watch-making mecca Neuchtel. All are about 30 minutes by train. Avenches, a town with extensive Roman ruins is only six minutes down the track; and picturesque, cheese-making, Gruyres is less than two hours distant. Each summer in Avenches, the Roman amphitheater is the site of outdoor opera performances and Murten hosts a summer classical music festival. Five golf courses are within a 30 minute drive. Murten's lake is connected via canals to the much larger lakes of Neuchtel (Neuenberger See) and Biel (Bieler See), making possible numerous water excursions. Cities on all three lakes can be accessed by boat from Murten. In fact, from Biel, at the end of the Bieler See, one can continue on the Aare River to Solothurn, though that trip cannot be completed in one day. A trip that can be done in a single day is to take a morning boat from Murten to Neuchtel, then through the canal to the Bieler See arriving in Biel at 5:30pm. Return to Murten by train. An excursion popular with locals is to go by boat from Murten to Praz on the opposite shore and return on foot via a lakeside walking path. The walk will take about two hours. Though hotel rooms will surely be at a premium, June 22, the holiday celebrating the great victory over the Duke of Burgundy would be a fine time to visit. There is a great civic celebration with a parade, music, traditional costumes and fountains filled with fresh flowers. Murten Hotels Le Vieux Manoir au Lac It sits there on the road just outside Murten, a rambling, complicated wooden structure, sprouting a variety of turrets and gables. Impressive but not quite breathtaking. That comes later, inside, at first sight of the hotels main public rooms: wide windows overlooking park-like grounds and a lake; delicate Murano-glass chandeliers; inlaid wood floors; terra cotta tiles; rich wall and window fabrics; woodwork that whispers master craftsmen; and a perfect choice of colors, furniture, and fixtures. It's a show, but the line between opulence and kitsch is never crossed. Add a fine restaurant, gorgeous guest rooms, lush grounds, a lakeside location, faultless, congenial service and Le Vieux Manoirs selection as "1999 Hotel of the Year" by the prestigious European guidebook publisher, Gault Millau, makes perfect sense. In recent years, a number of readers have touted this wonderful sanctuary, so we decided to see for ourselves. Our brief stay began with light lunches of perch filets in a superb lemon butter sauce and a feathery lobster and truffle lasagna. Two prices are offered for most menu items, depending on portion size. Afterward, we walked to the railway station and boarded a train to nearby (30 minutes) Freibourg, where the afternoon was spent browsing the old town. Had it been summer, we likely would have stayed at the hotel to sit by the lake with a book and a cool drink with breaks for the occasional short swim or perhaps have ventured onto the lake for some fishing (the hotel chef will cook your catch). Dinner in the winter garden-style dining room, distinctive for its comfortable wicker furniture and blue and gold terra cotta floor tiles, was just informal enough that a blue blazer without a tie felt o.k. Women, however, will not be able to get by without a dress. Fixed price menus include a multitude of courses. We passed on those, however, and started the meal with the usual mixed salads followed by six "00 belon" oysters, which we divided. The oysters were served over crushed ice with a peppery vinegar sauce and salads were what one expects at these prices, of the finest ingredients and tossed in a delicious dressing. A grilled chicken breast was raised from the ordinary by a sauce flavored with truffles and nutty Jerusalem artichokes.. A pistachio and kumquat sauce added an intriguing touch to a juicy saddle of venison. We came down the home stretch with a variety of tastes from a cheese cart that had been divided by origin, Switzerland and France. After that, we shared an assortment of refreshing, house-made sorbets served with fresh fruit. In European restaurants of this caliber, just when you think you can't possibly handle even one more morsel of food, your waiter shows up with a plate of exquisite little cookies and chocolates. These were nibbled on while sipping glasses of port and wondering how quickly a second mortgage could be negotiated to pay the bill. (Perhaps it should be noted here that there is a much simpler and less expensive restaurant, the Pinte de Meyriez, in a separate building on hotel grounds. It was closed for renovation during our recent visit.) Just as much care and thought has gone into furnishing and decorating Le Vieux Manoirs 30 sleeping chambers as the glorious public rooms. Each, of course, is a little masterpiece, with different shapes, sizes, fabrics and furniture. All come with the usual civilities plus walk-in closets, separate tubs and showers, heated towel racks, robes, and double sinks. Room Number 105 is done in a leopard skin motif and has a lake view; Number 106 has gingham draperies and bed covers, a separate sitting room, and a large balcony overlooking the lake; and in Number 111, a suite, the bed is in a tower room with seven windows surrounding it. After 13 years of searching out the top hotels in all categories in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, we have seen most of the very best. Is Le Vieux Manoir "best of the best?" Possibly. A few may have a slightly better kitchen and some travelers want spa/exercise/indoor swimming facilities (the hotel has none), but all things considered Le Vieux Manoir au Lac is as good as any small hotel we've seen.
Schiff Am See Just outside the city walls, on the lake, is the Hotel Schiff, our top choice in Murten proper. It has pleasant, well equipped rooms, some with lake views. You might ask for Number four, a double with three windows and a lakeside balcony. There is yet another window in the airy bathroom. Another pleasant room is Number 15 with a small sitting area and lake view. The hotels Lord Nelson restaurant, popular with locals, has fine views of the lake as do several terraces used for good weather dining. The hotel has no lift.
Weisses Kreuz In the very center of the old walled town, the Weisses Kreuz offers nine spacious guestrooms spread over two venerable buildings. Most rooms have antique furnishings, high ceilings, and inlaid and herringbone wood floors. Six have lake views. Our choice is Number 33, a spacious double with ceiling beams, oriental rugs over the inlaid floors and a seven-foot tall antique clock. Our only criticism of these accommodations is that some guestrooms are so large in relation to their furnishings that there is a feeling of coldness and austerity. Better furniture groupings and a well-placed screen or two might make them feel a bit cozier. The welcome is warm and the location couldn't be better.
Murtenhof The hotels fortress-like facade, with black and yellow striped shutters, is appealing. However, its bizarrely decorated rooms in a variety of themes are a little too "over the top" for us.
(January 2000) |
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