Have you ever wondered
how "Kastanienbaum"
chestnut tree in English"
got its name?

Kastanienbaum

It is an unusal name even if you take into account the numbers of places named after trees. There is a story that answers where the name Kastanienbaum originates. Interestingly, for IMI the story concerns an act of hospitality


On an autumn evening in this area amid a terrible thunderstorm 2 foreigners were travelling through. Wet through the skin and feeling very cold, they searched for shelter. They came across a farmhouse and knocked on the door. The farmers wife took pity on them and invited them in, and prepared a meal for them and place to rest. The next morning with the storm abated the foreigners resumed their journey and thanks the farmers wife for her hospitality with a pair of chestnuts. The farmers wife planted the chestnuts in the ground and in the spring two young trees appeared and soon the whole peninsula of Kastanienbaum was covered in chestnut trees - hence the name.

Swiss middle age

It seems that this story happened in a late medival period, where it still was a time of great change around lake Lucerne with the opening up of the St Gothard Pass linking northern Switzerland with southern Switzerland and Italy. It was still an arduous journey and until the advent if the steam ferries and the arrival of tourists some six hundred years later travelers had to be rowed across the lake, sometimes using sails, a journey that took many hours. Those who wanted to save money for the ferry had to walk around the lake, and this may be what our mysterious chestnut bearing foreigners were trying to do. Since the pass was the most direct route north and south there would have neen more foreigners passing through the region than in earlier periods. The opening of the pass would not only have brought more trade into the area, but would have also enhanced Lucerne's strategic significance - hence the great walls around the city. The Austrians, under the Habsburg, wanted to control the region and their pressure led eventually to the formation of the Swiss Confederation. It was beside the lake in the Rütli meadow, that legend has it that it on August 1. 1291, representatives from the three forest cantons - Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden - met in secret to withstand Habsburg repression and to sign a pact of eternal mutual defence, thereby laying the foundations of the Swiss Confederation. Compiled by M Hitchcock

Lake Luzerne

 
Why IMI University Centre

About IMI

Foucs on Career and Employability
IMI continually spearheads new and essential projects relevant to equip students with the skill sets needed to excel in the industry
In today's ever changing, virtual, digital, internetworked, immediate and global economy our Alumni will be exposed to various management symptoms like stress, time pressure, information overload, cultural misunderstandings, professionalism at all time.

Read about IMI at WIKIPEDIA

Prepared for any professional challenge through unique Person Development Programme
To prepare our students for this, IMI was the first Hotel School that implemented a Personal Development Programme (PDP) into its curriculum.
PDP aims to assist students academically and personally.

PDP encourages students to improve and develop in all aspects of their studies and career.

PDP supports students with study skills as well as preparing them for a rewarding career.
The latter is particularly focused on ‘employability skills' such as problem solving, creativity, team work and communication, all of which are essential for employers from graduating students.

Upcoming tourism related projects for the area and importance for future IMI students
A new hotel complex for Bürgenstock Hotels overlooking Lake Lucerne is expected to be finished in 2011. The hotel is expected to offer 800 jobs and IMI student can directly profit from having such a showcase of large tourism infrastructure right in front of the campus and of course possibilities for their upcoming paid work experiences as part of their studies in Switzerland.

Mr Swairis, an Egyptian entrepreneur, has chosen to develop a luxury ski and golf resort in Andermatt. Sawiris is head of the Hotels and Development division of his family's Orascom Group. Sawiris has yet to draw up a plan for his first alpine resort, but says it will include an 18-hole golf course and swimming pool complex with a sandy beach. Its hotels and holiday apartments will have at least 800 rooms. Again IMI students will not only be spectators but actively involved in various projects linked to this tourism project for Switzerland

IMI goes beyond classroom

INNOVATIVE USAGE OF NEW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES ON CAMPUS

Our whole course curriculum has been adapted to new technologies and increasingly our faculties utilise a web-enhanced blended tuition (as of 09B all courses will be blended with a eComponent - open source moodle). Faculty today use wikis, youTube, internet collaboration tools, invite guest speakers through webcast and hold meetings in Second Live and use emails and skype to communicate with students 24/7

Many of our faculties as well as our student council run their own blog-pages to reach out to students and the world

Our students receive a lifelong IMI student email, (if you are an alumni and would like to receive one yourself,  just mail us

IMI posts all new photos onto facebook, enabling all IMI students and alumni to see what is currently going on. As well we start to upload all the past graduation pictures, so if you want to look back, look at our official faceboook account „imi luzern" or send us an email. 

Ready for Life Facebook Imi luzern

IMI uses Web2.0 (the active web where all can participate) and uploads movies to YouTube, Hi5, Slideshare, Flickr and other Web2.0 social networking sites. You can find the latest presentations done by our experts through slideshare.com and you can read about IMI from Wikipedia. We at IMI believe that the best and most honest feedback comes from our students and alumni. Therefore check it out on web2.0 to get the unfiltered opinion

Since 2007 IMI has been among the first to allow students to bring notebooks into the classroom and extensively uses the Internet for class projects.

Once again IMI is spearheading and is the first Hotel Management School at all which has built a virtual campus in Second Life. You can visit our campus in cyberspace on an educational continent "Edunation" in Second Life. You are able to meet us there and receive information, see our presentations and watch our campus movies. All IMI stakeholders can profit from this new feature for their web-enhanced tuition as well as guest lecturers and virtual meetings.

Of course IMI hosts an extensive facebook like Alumni online database which allows its members to collaborate, to find lost friends and classmates, to post CV's , jobs and IT places and many more features. To get access contact IMI through mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it