Did you know that the scary hideout of James Bond’s enemy was real—and you can even eat lunch there now? 🍽️🎥❄️
Let’s go on an adventure to the Swiss Alps, where a movie dream turned into a real-life spinning restaurant high above the clouds!
🕵️ Who Is James Bond and What Is Piz Gloria?
James Bond is a famous movie spy who saves the world from bad guys. In his 10th book adventure called “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” author Ian Fleming imagined a mountain hideout in the Swiss Alps for Bond’s big enemy: Ernst Blofeld. He called this secret lair “Piz Gloria.”
But guess what? When the filmmakers made the movie in 1969, they found something amazing…
🏔️ A Half-Built Restaurant Turned Into a Spy Lair!
While looking for a mountain to film on, the production team found a half-finished restaurant on top of a snowy mountain called the Schilthorn. It was 2,970 meters high—that’s super tall! 🏔️❄️
The restaurant was not done yet, so the movie team said,
👉 “We’ll help finish building it—but only if we can use it for our James Bond movie!”
The restaurant owners agreed, and Piz Gloria came to life!
🎬 The Movie That Made History
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” became super special because:
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It was the only movie where James Bond got married! 💍
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But it was also the only one where his wife died right after the wedding 😢
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It was the only movie where Australian actor George Lazenby played James Bond.
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It was the first movie without Sean Connery, the original Bond actor!
🏡 How the Village of Murren Got Involved
While filming, the movie crew stayed in the nearby village of Murren. It’s a small place with beautiful views and can only be reached by cable car! 🚡
The villagers loved having the Bond team there so much that they started putting “007” on everything—on stores, souvenirs, and even internet passwords! But after Amazon MGM bought the rights to the James Bond movies, many had to stop using “007” to avoid copyright trouble. 😬
🍽️ What Happened to Piz Gloria After the Movie?
Here’s the cool part: The restaurant never closed!
It kept the name “Piz Gloria” and became a real revolving restaurant—yes, it slowly spins so you can see the snowy mountains all around while you eat! 😍🍲
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You can see the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the Black Forest in Germany, and even Mont Blanc, Europe’s tallest mountain!
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Inside the restaurant is a “Spy World” gallery with posters, costumes, and props from the actual movie!
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You can even visit the viewing deck where Bond filmed a scene in disguise.
🎿 A Place for Spy Fans and Adventure Seekers
Today, Schilthorn is not just for movie fans—it’s also perfect for:
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Skiing in the winter ⛷️
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Biking, hiking, and triathlons in the summer 🚵♂️⛰️
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And for kids and grownups who want to pretend they’re James Bond escaping bad guys! 🕶️💨
✨ Final Thoughts: From Fiction to Real Life
What started as a spy villain’s hideout in a book became a real, magical place in the mountains—where you can eat, explore, and live the movie dream. It shows how stories can come to life in the most unexpected places!
