Swiss Edelweiss Village Foundation

2024 Governors’ Awards

Credit: Remax Golden

Edelweiss Village is the historic home base of the legendary Swiss Guides who introduced European-style hiking and mountaineering to the Canadian Rockies in the early 20th century.  

Built between 1910-1912 by the Canadian Pacific Railway for key members of the Swiss Guides and their families, Edelweiss Village consists of six chalets spread over a 50-acre hillside site north of Golden. The remarkably intact wood and stucco houses feature eclectic decorative elements such as intricate bargeboards, half-timberwork, and ornate balconies loosely interpreting the Swiss Chalet style.   

In early 2021, the property was put up for sale with no guarantee that a new owner would preserve the village.  

Fearing the property was at risk of going to developers who would demolish its rich history, the not-for-profit Swiss Edelweiss Village Foundation began searching for ways to preserve the chalets as a heritage site. The National Trust put Edelweiss Village on the National Trust’s Top 10 Endangered Places List in 2022. 

Working closely with the foundation, real estate firm Montayne purchased the site to use as tourist accommodation. They have gone to great lengths to protect the site’s integrity, carefully preserving features from each chalet. 

The National Trust for Canada’s Board of Governors has chosen to recognize the Swiss Edelweiss Village Foundation with a Governors’ Award for saving the Edelweiss Village. The transformation of the threatened village to a growing commercial enterprise demonstrates that heritage conservation is worth the investment.