Local Heritage – Culinary Art - Alpine Fusion
CompanyTITLIS Bergbahnen26.11.2025
On 13 December 2025, the new restaurant Atelier Hess at the Alpine Lodge Truebsee will open its doors for the first time. Its opening marks the beginning of a new chapter at the Alpine Lodge. It combines pioneering spirit with culinary artistry, down-to-earthness with creative sophistication and its name pays tribute to an extraordinary personality in Engelberg's history- Eugen Hess.
Atelier Hess – A tribute to an Engelberg pioneer
With the opening of Atelier Hess at the Berghotel Trübsee, we are paying tribute to an extraordinary Engelberg personality: Eugen Hess, better known as Sager Geni. A man who shaped the history of Engelberg with courage, vision and an unshakeable drive – and whose pioneering spirit can still be felt today.
Geni – the pioneer
At the end of the 19th century, Hess was much more than just a mountain guide and hotelier. He was a visionary who firmly believed in the potential of his high valley and worked tirelessly for its further development.
In the early 1880s, he built his first guesthouse in Engelberg, the Pension Hess, and although many dismissed it as a ‘crazy idea’, he opened the first Alpine Lodge Truebsee on the Staldiegg in 1888, despite extensive construction work and financial difficulties. Whether this was a completely new building or a generous extension of an existing, simple accommodation is still unclear today. Only one thing is certain: its opening marked the beginning of a success story that continues to this day.
Eugen Hess was a tireless ‘doer’ who combined many talents and was always open to new ideas and projects.
Eugen Hess (on the right) as mountain guide. Picture: Inventory Valley Museum, SCA Glasplatte 037
Geni Hess was not content with simply implementing his ‘crazy idea’ of building a hotel on Trübsee; he took it one step further by installing the first private telephone in Obwalden and Nidwalden at the Hess guesthouse in the village of Trübsee. The telephone was certainly a good invention, as it saved time when sending messages and exchanging news. One such message ultimately revealed that his two sons, Karl and Hermann, were skiers. Father Hess was not particularly enthusiastic about the new-fangled activity called skiing, which arrived in Engelberg at the beginning of the 20th century.
When Eugen Hess saw one morning from the village that a window shutter was open at the Alpine Lodge on Trübsee, he sent his sons Karl and Hermann to close it. However, the elder Hess searched in vain for traces of the two boys in the deep snow on the Pfaffenwand (slope below Truebsee). When the telephone rang at the Pension Hess, the father was very surprised to hear one of his sons on the other end of the line. How was it possible that they were already up there?
Karl and Hermann had to confess to their father that they had secretly learned to ski and had skied from Untertrübsee to the hotel. Without saying another word, Eugen Hess is said to have ordered skis from the village carpenter that very same day. The hotelier had recognised the value of this new winter sports equipment and subsequently became an ardent advocate of winter sports in Engelberg.*
A new chapter at the Alpine Logde Truebsee
Geni Hess' courage and pioneering spirit continue to have an impact today. The new Atelier Hess builds on precisely these qualities – and thus opens a fresh, innovative chapter in the mountains.
After seven months of renovation, the premises of the former Bistro 1800 now shine in new splendour – modern, alpine and full of character. The interior combines natural materials with expressive metal elements to create a stylish, warm atmosphere. The large windows offer sweeping views of the mountains – a panorama that inspires and calms at the same time.
A special highlight is the rooftop bar: the perfect place for a stylish aperitif with spectacular views of the surrounding peaks – a place to toast, marvel and enjoy.
The Atelier Hess combines pioneering spirit and culinary artistry, down-to-earthness and creative sophistication. Chef Nicholas Lundgren combines Swedish inspiration with Alpine cuisine to create a unique Alpine fusion. His dishes surprise, delight and tell stories – authentic, regional and yet always a little bit different.
Atelier Hess will open its doors for the first time on 13 December 2025. Whether for an enjoyable lunch or a special small-scale team event, hospitality is practised here with heartfelt sincerity.
With courage, passion and a touch of pioneering spirit, a new gastronomic chapter is beginning at the Alpine Lodge at Lake Truebsee – as a tribute to Eugen Hess, whose innovative strength and drive remain an inspiration to this day.
*Source: Engelberger Dokument, Heft 28, "Sager Geni"
Atelier Hess
New opening: 13 December 2025 – At an altitude of 1,800 metres, we combine tradition and innovation to create a special culinary experience. Inspired by Engelberg pioneer Eugen Hess-Waser, Atelier Hess reinterprets Alpine cuisine – pure, refined and full of character. Here, every course is a tribute to the mountains.