The Hotel Promenade's garden is a quiet testament to late Neoclassical landscape design. Originally planned by St. Gallen architect Ludwig Pfeiffer, the grounds were established before 1899, likely at the same time as C. Zündel's villa, whose yellowish brick facade still overlooks the property today.
The lower part of the slope was once used for fruit and utility plants, and some of the old trees still stand. The upper area was traditionally designed as an open meadow, forming a spacious, tranquil counterpoint.
Shortly thereafter, landscape architect Evariste Mertens was brought in and expanded the grounds with a delicate network of paths. Smaller and larger circular routes led across the garden terrace and the hillside, opening up new perspectives and creating a carefully composed sequence of spaces. Parts of these paths have been preserved and were respectfully supplemented during later work. In more recent garden projects, the historical character always remained central. In 2017, an orchard with old varieties was created, and a bog garden also recalls the original layout of the grounds.
A special jewel is the protected grotto, built between 1903 and 1906 according to Mertens' plans. It was once intended to lead visitors deep into the garden and today stands as one of the rare, well-preserved examples of its kind in the region. It is a garden where history remains palpable, and nature and architecture meet in quiet harmony.
