After a 12 year hiatus caused by World War II, the winter Olympic Games returned to the quaint Swiss ski village of St. Moritz in 1948 (they were also there 20 years earlier). In the late 1940s, St. Moritz was already famous and the ski resort of choice for celebrities, royalty, the wealthy, and those in the know. The newly electrified Glacier Express train linked St. Moritz to other ski areas and major cities with elegant salon coaches and dining cars. The village was a meeting place for politicians and Hollywood stars, kings and tycoons who came in the winter to ski and hob-nob among their own kind and in summer to enjoy the mild Upper Engadine climate and bathe in the region's famed therapeutic mineral waters. A combination of private chalets, lodges, and hotels lined the valley floor and provided luxurious accommodation for visitors.
St. Moritz Now
Today St. Moritz retains its small village feel despite its sophistication and international reputation. Still the resort of choice for jet setters, the rich and famous, only 6,000 people live here permanently, most involved in the hospitality industry. Tourism is thriving, with a summer and winter flow of more than quarter of a million visitors from around the world each year. There are 40 plus hotels as well as several thousand vacation apartments, most of which are in the four and five-star category. Shopping in St. Moritz is an art form, with luxury goods and designer fashion available right off the slopes on via Maistra, alongside world class restaurants and ski equipment stores. The St. Moritz Gourmet Festival is one of the winter seasons highlights, as it the White Turf, a hundred year-old traditional horse race that takes place on the frozen lake and the Snow and Symphony Music Festival. In summer sailing, windsurfing, tennis, horseback riding, five golf courses and a series of music events keep leisure visitors busy.
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