Saed News: The Suverta villa in St. Moritz, Switzerland, which is considered one of the most famous and, of course, expensive tourist destinations.
According to the history service of Saed News, citing the Institute for the Studies of Contemporary Iranian History, the Suverta villa in St. Moritz, Switzerland, which is one of the most famous and, of course, expensive tourist destinations, was purchased by Mohammad Reza Shah in 1969 for 1.8 million Swiss francs. The story of how this villa was acquired and its fate after the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran is one of the fascinating chapters in the history of contemporary Iran.
The sudden rise in oil prices and the subsequent increase in the country's economic income lasted for nearly half a decade (1969-1974). One of the consequences of this windfall income was the exploitation by the officials of the Pahlavi royal government, leading to economic corruption among the leaders of that regime.
A prominent feature of this national wealth was the purchase of residential properties and villas in some tourist areas abroad, as well as frequent trips to those places. Switzerland, in the heart of Europe, specifically the mountainous city of St. Moritz, became a regular vacation spot for Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his family outside Iran.
During the peak of oil revenue (1969-1974), Pahlavi bought an expensive villa in this part of Europe and invested in fully equipping it. He spent about two months each year there, to the point where some even referred to St. Moritz as the "Winter Capital of the Shah."
Although St. Moritz is an expensive and luxurious resort destination worldwide, the Pahlavi royal court, with its access to the abundant oil income, chose it among Switzerland's various ski resorts for their recreation and residence. The wife of the second Pahlavi, in her memoirs, proudly recalled: "When I was a student in France, I once visited Switzerland and was a simple student walking in Bern; I never imagined I would soon be skiing and engaging in winter sports in a place that is a haven for multi-billionaires and the wealthiest European and American families."
According to an account from someone close to Farah Diba, "The Shah and the courtiers came to Switzerland every year around January 20 for skiing and other leisure activities, and then returned to Iran in March to spend their spring vacation in villas on the Caspian Sea." It is said that during the time the Shah stayed in Switzerland for skiing, two hotels were rented for his companions, and the Swiss government earned one to two million dollars in revenue.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi usually went there in the months of Bahman and Esfand (January and February), but his family members also visited at other times, particularly in the summer. For example, according to a report from SAVAK, "Her Majesty the Queen returned yesterday, July 5, 1971, from her 18-day trip to Canada, France, and Switzerland... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Her Royal Highness Farahnaz, Alireza, and Leila, along with Farideh Diba, are residing in St. Moritz and spending their vacation there."
Before the anti-Shah protests outside the "Dolder" hotel in Zurich in 1968, the second Pahlavi stayed at the Suverta hotel when traveling to St. Moritz. However, after this date, based on the Shah's order to purchase a luxurious villa, the Suverta villa became the personal property and residence of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his family during their recreational trips to Switzerland.
This Pahlavi villa was purchased in 1969 for 1.8 million Swiss francs and, according to Farah Diba, was considered "one of the most expensive properties in Switzerland and perhaps the world." Despite extensive efforts to find a suitable place for the Shah and his family's stay in St. Moritz, the Iranian ambassador and embassy staff in Switzerland were unable to find a better place than the Suverta villa.
In early 1968, a photo of the Shah leaving his vacation residence, the Suverta villa, with a custom Lamborghini Miura alongside his wife, Queen Farah Diba, was published.
The Lamborghini Miura seen in the video you watched was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's custom Miura, which later came into the hands of the famous collector, Simon Kidston, who purchased it on behalf of one of his friends. After a two-year restoration in Italy, with the current owner's permission, the restored Miura was once again driven on the snow in 2019, nearly 51 years after the iconic moment of the Shah near St. Moritz.
