Categories
Putting Schwarzenbach on the Map
Tour de Suisse 2015
Not many people have heard about Schwarzenbach – even many Swiss are surprised that such a castle exist in North Eastern Switzerland. These reactions caused me to wonder, considering it is a swift 45 minute drive from Zurich airport and a touch away from Zurich City Center. However, Schwarzenbach is not the chosen address of many wealthy and self proclaimed elite that tend to reside near Lake Zurich and the surrounding areas in high end village style housing, of which you will pay a high premium for a “fashionable” address.
While Schwarzenbach is not the “whisky belt” of plush majestic villas of the rich and famous of North Zealand in Copenhagen, where my family and I once lived, we chose this home based on convenience and attributes that are important to us in favor of a more prestigious address. In Schwarzenbach we discovered a beautiful well kept castle with an abundance of land and a river flowing through our back yard. We can roam the picturesque grounds and feel peace and quiet, have meals outside in the summer, and raise vegetables and chickens to feed our family. We are truly grateful to call Schwarzenbach home.
Six years later our children have become young adults and are leaving the “nest”, therefore the this big castle has taken on another role. While still our home base for the entire family, it is also a meeting point for Club Supercar members and a place where grand events, dinners, and meetings for those connected to our many business projects. Once the residence for just the Christensen family, Schwarzenbach is now a home to many others in our various personal and professional networks. A major turning point for Schwarzenbach and the Castle was June 16th 2015 when it was host to “Tour de Suisse ” Stage 4 with 250 people at the Castle seated for dinner and an entire day of events in the village. The Castle was the centerpiece of this special day, which marked a return to its grandeur of the past as well as a new identity for the future.
We chose to host Stage 4 of the “Tour de Suisse” in Schwarzenbach for several reasons. In his role as CEO of Saxo Bank, for eight seasons my husband and his support staff (Lotte and Camilla, Jesper Riis and a few good other dedicated people) were responsible for managing the company’s cycling team in many well known competitions including Tour de France, Tour of California, Tour de Giro as well as other professional cycling events. We thought with all this experience, there was no better place than our village of Schwarzenbach to host the Stage 4 of a world class event. This was a way for us to give back and show gratitude for the warm welcome we received when we chose to make Schwarzenbach our home.
The Tour de Suisse Stage 4 was surely a treat for the village. A committee was formed with representation from local residents, agencies and organizations with a high level of participation and enthusiasm. The event was a smashing success. Perhaps the most important outcome for us as a family and residents of Schwarzenbach was the way our community worked together and displayed enormous pride in showcasing our lovely village that we now call home.
