The Zero-Star Hotel

We have squats.  Switzerland has Null Stern Hotel. 

 

Essentially it's one very large conceptual art piece as egalitarian sociology experiment as place to stay when you're f***ing tired after a long day of being a tourist. 

NS's basic accomodations, when francs are converted to dollars, still hover right around the $9.00 mark.  The 'luxury' package is eleven francs or roughly ten U.S. dollars.

According to the Null Stern website proper the first hotel of its kind--both in the type of hotel itself and the existence of one in the commune of Sevelen (well, municipality, but isn't it still kinda interesting how the Swiss refer to it so innocently as a commune when its governmental model is similar enough to a consensus democracy anyway it really needn't be called one?)--opened on June 5th.  Now its humble few citizens will not just have a place to sleep tonight; they'll also have a place to get a hot shower...if they're lucky enough to win the Glucksrad, a bicycle wheel fashioned into a wheel of fortune the guests have to spin to see who gets the first hot shower of the day.  The first and only hot shower of the day.

Local twin brother artists Frank and Patrik Riklin really needed lodging for some guest musicians playing gigs at the local cultural center.  Trouble is there wasn't enough space for a new hotel or any lodging establishment in the municipality in the constituency of Werdenberg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland (hey, it's from Wikipedia).  So Sevelen's local authorities commissioned a Swiss Army civil defense bunker and moved in 54 roughly twin mattress sized beds and a few Biedermeiers--the beds that come with the 'luxury package'--from condemned hotels outside the municipality.

 

As if the Riklin's philosophy in the reckoning of Null Stern and its status as the world's only zero-star hotel isn't patently clear from the photos by now, less is more.  A feverish chill in the air can be expediently remedied by bottles of hot water hung on lines along the wall.  You can tuck in a set of conveniently furnished premium ear plugs in case the sound of the fans is really getting to you.  The ice rink coagulating on the floor from the lack of central heating will be much easier to negotiate with the help of Null Stern's famous treadless slippers. 

And you can stop looking for the windows.  Need to have a sneak at how hard it's snowing outside?  Video monitor out in the lobby.

What Null Stern lacks in the luxury of a jacuzzi that fits ONE and continental breakfast of tough pancakes and crunchy sausage it makes up for in what you don't expect from it.  Which is to say, what you really gain from it.  Conversation, real conversation, with complete strangers (and those you've just met for the first time) and at least a springboard toward a very workable model of sustainable living. 

Or sustaining an extra night smelling like ten day-old ass because Spanky on the other side of the room got the hot shower on the morning you were supposed to check out. 

Comments

[Kevin]

Does the John Hodgman-looking character come with the room?

[wapsie]

The word "commune" in European politics originally meant a "sworn society", normally of elite town dwellers (wealthy merchants and nobility who had intermarried with them), who banded together to assert sovereignty or some degree of autonomy, usually over a city or town.

A "communal movement" swept northern Italy in the decades around 1100. Merchant elites took advantage of a political power vacuum to create dozens of city-states, most of which were merchant republics.

The notion of towns as political entities with at least some self-rule was well established all over western Europe by the mid-13th century.

This is the historical reason why so many European municipalities still call themselves "communes". It has nothing really to do with *democracy* per se or with societies that ban or limit private property. It does, however, assume the notion of *citizenship* and the rights and obligations of citizenship.

Most of truly sovereign medieval Italian communes became petty despotisms or were swallowed up by imperialist communes like Florence, Venice, and Milan. Florence and Venice continued for a long time as independent republics (to 1532 and 1797, respectfully), but of increasingly oligarchic character.

[betaman]

In Switzerland communes are just the the smallest government division. They have their own governments, laws and taxes and vary in size from 17 to 350'000 habitants. They make up the cantons (=states) which make up the federal state (=CH=Confoederatio Helvetica=Switzerland).
All in all it is a very stable but slow and boring political system which lets you participate at every level as you should vote on almost every bigger decision. If you raise 100'000 signatures and win the poll you can even change the constitution at federal level (e.g. "We want a holiday on 1st august": accepted in 1994, "all drugs should be legal": not accepted 1998, "SUV-cars should be forbidden": we will vote in 2010).

[Cybergolgot]

I have stayed there and they successfully created a welcoming and comfortable environment. The Modern Butler caters to your need from a professional check in through bringing you coffee in bed at your desired time. The place is spotless and the mattress and linen are first class. The following are some update from the previous posts based on their current website (Someone should update Wikipedia!)www.null-stern-hotel.ch :

1) The first hotel opened in June 5th, 2009 in Teufen, AR, Switerland
2) The first night tests happened end of 2008 at the bunker of Sevelen, St.-Gallen, Switerland
3) Today at the Teufen property, there is sufficient hot water at all times of day and night for everyone
4) There is a central heating but the temperature is maintained to a minimum
5) the Wheel of Fate (Glucksrad) is a great functional installation
6) hot water bottles are available to guests looking for more heat
7) morning coffee (Nespresso) or tea are included in the price
8) an old 80's TV streams live from a web cam placed on the top of the building so you see outside (Virtual Window).
9) T-shirt "Null Stern - the only is you" are available, the green color is my favorite

They have welcomed 1000 guests from over 20 countries worldwide. Geo Saison ranked them in the top 100 hotel in Europe in the "Ausser Konkurrenz" category. http://www.stern.de/reise/europa/hoteltest-2010-die-besten-hotels-in-europa-1536714-6e1ea83b4c48ed82.html

Your reflection on the Swiss democratic system is very interesting and appropriate. The Null Stern's philosophy demonstrates that the system also works with genuine and well thought out projects.
Well done and keep them coming.

[Tempurpedic]

Going to a king tempurpedic mattress to the floor has done some damage. ;) My flight leaves back to LA tomorrow. A beautiful long vacation almost

[maviyan]

Nice one, there is actually some great points on this post some of my associates will find this worthwhile, will send them a link, thanks
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