Back in the late 1960’s, building a revolving restaurant on top of a rugged mountain top seemed very futuristic. This was the time when Mt. Schilthorn in the Bernese Alps was conquered.
The problem was that the project ended up running way over budget, so the builders were on the look-out for alternative funding.
In comes James Bond. Well, not exactly, but the film producers for “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” who were searching for a mountain peak which exactly matched Ian Fleming‘s description in the Bond novel.
It was a winning formula for both, so in exchange for access to the accessible but unfinished Piz Gloria station, the producers paid for the later finishing of the Schilthorn.
This also explains how the inside of Piz Gloria was turned into villain Blofeld’s clinical research institute. You may recall the 1960’s love shack where Bond meets 10 young women on a mission to destroy the agriculture of the world…
Today, Mt. Schilthorn is the perfect sightseeing spot as it is directly across from Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau! To the West and to the North, you can see as far as France and Germany. Unfortunately, the James Bond museum has been reduced to a couple of movie posters…
[…] first James Bond movie was Ursula's fourth movie as an actress, and her first role in an English speaking movie. […]