(c) by Torre Belvedere. All rights reserved.
Description [EN]
Above Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden stands the Torre Belvedere, a striking observation tower that houses Pro Natura’s nature centre with rotating exhibitions.
On a rocky ridge that separates the Oberengadin from the Bergell, construction of the private residence Schloss Belvedere began in 1882, commissioned by the Belgian Count Camille de Renesse. The project remained unfinished due to financial problems. The painter Giovanni Segantini later intended to complete the complex and create a palace with a medieval character, but he was unable to realise his plans because he died of appendicitis in 1899. The castle was subsequently used as a hotel and later as an educational institute; after a fire the extensions adjoining the tower had to be largely removed.
In 1953 Pro Natura acquired the tower together with the surrounding mountain pine forest and the glacial potholes and established a nature reserve there.
The stone tower reaches a height of 24 metres; 112 steps lead to the viewing platform at 22.5 metres, from which there is a view over the Oberengadin and the Bergell. The exhibitions of the nature centre and other organisers are housed on three interior floors.