King Albert I of Belgium was a keen and experienced mountain climber. He scaled many Swiss peaks and even completed a first ascent in 1907. Tragically, despite his mountaineering skills, a climbing accident ended his life. Swissinfo regularly publishes articles from the Swiss National Museum’s blog dedicated to historical topics. The articles are always written in German and usually also in French and English. His full name was Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad, Prince of Belgium. But the monarch seems to have faded from memory in Switzerland, whether under that name or as King Albert I. That is as regrettable as it is unjust, as the Belgian blue blood (1875-1934) had some memorable adventures in Switzerland. When Albert was 26 and had just married Bavarian princess Elisabeth, he attended a lecture by Ernest Solvay, who provided the funding for the Solvay Hut at the Hörnli ridge on the Matterhorn, which ignited the young royal’s passion for mountain climbing. He had also spent ...
