A Doctor and Adventurer on Skis – Alexander Spengler

Expatriated by the Grand Duchy of Baden for “persistently abandoning his country,” Alexander Spengler (1827–1901) came to Switzerland as a political refugee. Following his appointment as country doctor in Davos, he finally settled there and soon became one of the town’s leading figures.

Spengler’s life story reads like a blend of adventure fiction and medical drama. In Davos, he began experimenting with treatments for tuberculosis and became a driving force behind the town’s rise to prominence as a health resort for patients with lung disease. His name is associated both with Davos’ first sanatorium and with a sanatorium for the poor.

Yet the doctor still found time for what we would now call a hobby: skiing. He was likely the first person in Davos to own a pair of Nordic skis — decorated with engravings of epic hunting and battle scenes in a style reminiscent of sgraffito. Today, the skis are on display at the Wintersportmuseum in Davos.