Pro Üetliberg President Margrith Gysel Steps Down After 22 Years

Margrith Gysel is stepping down at the end of the year as president of the Pro Üetliberg association, concluding a 22-year tenure dedicated to environmental protection on Zurich’s local mountain. Her resignation marks the conclusion of a long-standing effort to restrict commercial development and large-scale events on the protected summit.

Gysel’s leadership began in the summer of 2004, when the owners of the Hotel Uto Kulm announced plans to establish an open-air cinema for 700 visitors. Following resistance from local opponents, municipal authorities scaled back the project. The dispute led to the formalisation of Gysel’s role as president of Pro Üetliberg, an organisation that subsequently used legal appeals to enforce environmental regulations on the mountain.

Over the following two decades, the association repeatedly challenged commercial initiatives, including Christmas markets, temporary kiosks, and evening parties. Legal proceedings initiated by the group led to a decision by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court mandating the demolition of unauthorized terrace extensions at the Uto Kulm hotel. The association also secured the removal of an unpermitted food kiosk on the mountain.

A key regulatory framework came into effect in 2015 with the adoption of a comprehensive design plan for the Üetliberg. Although Gysel described the outcome as a compromise, the regulation formally prohibited helicopter flights and major fireworks displays in the area. Throughout this period, relations between Pro Üetliberg and long-time Uto Kulm owner Giusep Fry remained tense. Following Fry’s death in 2023—one year after handing management to his son Fabian Fry in May 2022—contact between the association and the hotel operators remained limited.

Recent challenges for the association include commercial events at another location on the mountain, the Uto Staffel restaurant, where late-night techno parties have drawn objections from conservationists. As Gysel steps down at the end of the year, she noted that attracting younger members willing to commit to long-term board responsibilities remains difficult. The remaining members of the board are expected to continue the association's legal and environmental oversight.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com