Bashkirtseff
Orig | CZ

Hôtel de la Couronne (Geneva)

Basic Aktualizováno: 2025-12-07

Research Status: Basic Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Book 00 (1884 preface)

Identity

The Hôtel de la Couronne was a hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva where the Bashkirtseff family initially stayed when they fled from Baden-Baden to Geneva in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War.

In Marie's Diary

Marie describes their accommodation in Book 00 (paragraph 00.43):

"A Genève, nous avons logé à l'hôtel de la Couronne au bord du lac, c'était charmant."

(In Geneva, we lodged at the hotel de la Couronne on the edge of the lake, it was charming.)

She later mentions moving from the hotel to a boarding house (paragraph 00.44):

"A ce moment nous avions quitté l'hôtel de la Couronne pour loger dans une pension de famille, pension Huberkoller, et le Mont Blanc était en face de nous."

(At that moment we had left the hotel de la Couronne to lodge in a family boarding house, pension Huberkoller, and Mont Blanc was in front of us.)

Location and Character

Lakeside Setting:

  • Situated "au bord du lac" (on the edge of the lake)
  • Offered views of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman)
  • Marie described it as "charmant" (charming)

Type of Establishment:

  • A hotel (not a pension or boarding house)
  • Suitable for temporary stays by aristocratic families
  • More expensive than a pension de famille
  • The family later economized by moving to Pension Huberkoller

Historical Context

Hotels Named "Couronne" in Switzerland

The name "Hôtel de la Couronne" (Crown Hotel) was common in Switzerland. There are several historical hotels with this name:

  • Hôtel de la Couronne in Morges (near Geneva), dating to 1574, officially named in 1851
  • Similar establishments in other Swiss towns

However, Marie specifically refers to one "au bord du lac" in Geneva itself, which may have been a lakeside establishment that no longer exists or has been renamed.

Geneva During the Franco-Prussian War (1870)

When the Franco-Prussian War broke out in July 1870, many international families fled from German territories to neutral Switzerland. Geneva's hotels experienced an influx of:

  • Russian aristocratic families
  • French families escaping the conflict
  • International travelers displaced from German spa resorts
  • Diplomatic personnel and refugees

Hotels like the Hôtel de la Couronne would have been filled with such displaced families, creating a cosmopolitan atmosphere of exiles and temporary residents.

Moving to a Pension

The Bashkirtseff family's move from the Hôtel de la Couronne to Pension Huberkoller suggests:

  • Initial arrival at a comfortable hotel
  • Realization they would stay longer than expected
  • Economic consideration (pensions were cheaper than hotels for extended stays)
  • Desire for more settled, family-oriented accommodation

Significance

The Hôtel de la Couronne represents:

  • The family's initial refuge when fleeing the war
  • A brief period of stability after disruption
  • The lakeside beauty of Geneva that impressed young Marie
  • A temporary home before finding more permanent lodging

Related Entries

%%2025-12-07T17:20:00 RSR: Created entry based on Book 00, paragraphs 00.43-00.44. The hotel was the family's first refuge in Geneva during the Franco-Prussian War.%%