Interlaken carries its history in its very name. It derives from the Latin «inter lacus» – «between the lakes» – and refers to the sunny plain known as the Bödeli that stretches between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. The name «Interlacus» first appears in 1133, when Emperor Lothair III placed the local Augustinian monastery under his protection. It had been founded around 1130 by Baron Seliger von Oberhofen, who built a wooden house of prayer at a place called «Matten». Around thirty monks lived here under the strict rule of Saint Augustine, and over the following centuries the monastery grew into the largest landowner in the entire Oberland. After the Reformation, Interlaken transformed from a monastic settlement into a health resort and blossomed into a holiday destination in the 19th century.

Around the turn of the 20th century, Interlaken experienced an unparalleled building boom. It was in this period that Centralstrasse received its present face: stately buildings that – like the grand hotels of that era – speak the language of Art Nouveau. As a central axis in the heart of town, in the Bleikimatta quarter and just a few steps from the old inns «Hirschen» and «Weisses Kreuz», Centralstrasse became the address of everyday life – a street of shops, workshops and artisan businesses that shaped it for generations.

On this lively street stands the building at Centralstrasse 28. Like so many of its neighbours, it has always united living, trade and hospitality under one roof. It is here, in the vibrant heart of Interlaken, that Banoo has now found its home. Just as at the «Rössli» in Rapperswil, it brings Persian and Oriental hospitality into a house that tells of the everyday life and history of this special place between the lakes.