A ‘Trojan Horse’ measuring 14m (46 feet) high, 20m (66 feet) long and weighing in at 5.2 tonnes has materialised on the frozen lake at St Moritz.
The Trojan Horse appeared at the Night Turf arena at 5pm last Friday (5 February 2016), where horse races were taking place on the frozen lake.
“It did not partake in any races but instead stood majestically transfixed to the ground, presiding over proceedings,” said a witness.
It’s the same location where, a few years ago, a submarine appeared out of the ice of the frozen lake overnight.
As with the submarine however, the horse is a work of art, and its hollowed-out body has been made into a private lounge capable of holding private events for up to 10 people.
And again as with the submarine, the idea comes from The Kulm hotel, the first hotel in St Moritz and where famously the first winter snow holiday recorded took place in 1864-65.
The idea for The Trojan Horse was conceived by Heinz E. Hunkeler, General Manager of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, and Silvio Martin Staub, President of the St. Moritz Racing Association, but it was created by local Engadine artist Curdin Guler, a passionate horse lover influenced by the 19th century French sculptor Auguste Rodin, who crafted the sculpture from a variety of materials to give it a natural and realistic appearance.
Though a modern piece, it was created the old-fashioned way, free form, without the use of computer technology, reliant entirely on the artist’s intuition. One kilometre of steel rods, weighing 2900 kilos, were used in its construction, along with 800 metres of silver-coloured polyester and 3200 pieces of wood shingle made from local Engadine stone pine.
The sculpture took over four months (and almost 14,500 hours of labour) to build, with nine people working on the project from late September 2015 up till the end of January prior to its unveiling last week. Said Guler, “The Trojan Horse was an incredibly exciting but also dangerous project, because it brought great challenges, with regard to technical aspects, meeting the deadline, creating the shape and getting all the calculations right”.
The Trojan Horse was assembled in separate parts – the body, head, legs and interior space – before being assembled in Samedan, just a few miles from its final resting place beside Lake St Moritz.
The Trojan Horse will remain in situ until the last White Turf race of 2016 is run on 21 February, and will make further appearances at White Turf in 2017 and 2018, before being put out to pasture.
In between White Turf appearances The Trojan Horse will be able to graze in the Kulm Park (the extensive grounds in which the Kulm Hotel stands).
“Equestrian sport has a long history here in the Engadine Valley and White Turf plays a very important part in our winter sports offering,” said Heinz E. Hunkeler, “The Kulm Hotel has always been a pioneer, ever since its founder Johannes Badrutt made a bet over 150 years’ ago that paved the way for winter tourism. It is also the leading hotel in St. Moritz, continually seeking to provide outstanding guest satisfaction, so it felt natural for the Kulm to be one of the main sponsors, alongside White Turf, of this innovative initiative that will add another dimension to our guest experience.”
The Niarchos family, owners of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, are strongly associated with both the equestrian and art scenes, so sponsorship of The Trojan Horse was a natural choice. The hotel is a major sponsor of the Snow Polo World Cup, the Longines CSI ***** St. Moritz and the White Turf races.
During the winter season, rooms at the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz cost from CHF575 (approx £400) for two people sharing a double room on a half-board basis.
To book the lounge within the Trojan Horse Minimum costs from CHF 1250.00 (approx £880) for 3 hours for 1-10 people. The price would include a fondue but would not include drinks and is a flat rate regardless of the number of people using the lounge up to the maximum.
