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60-660: The region essentially coincides with the upper basin of the Aare , the latter notably including Lake Thun and Lake Brienz , the two large lakes of the region. On the banks of the lakes or the Aare are the main settlements of Thun , Spiez , Interlaken , Brienz and Meiringen . The numerous side valleys of the Bernese Oberland include a large number of Alpine villages, many of them being tourist resorts and connected by mountain railways to Spiez and Interlaken. The Lötschberg ,

120-454: A fallow period. They were cultivated for 2 to 5 years, then used as a meadow (and fertilized by the animals) for 3 to 10 years before going back under cultivation. However, in the mountain valleys, the fields near the communities were cultivated every year (sometimes producing two crops a year in Ticino ) while the outer fields and alpine pastures were more often allowed to lie fallow or used as

180-400: A diversification of the economy. After 1950 a new wave of hotel construction of hotels and holiday homes and apartments, led to a strong population growth. Starting in the 1930s and increasingly after 1950 funiculars , cable cars and chair lifts opened up many of the high alpine villages for winter sports and tourism. The Bernese Oberland designates primarily an area around the upper valley of

240-767: A high Alpine hiking pass, and further to the Kander Valley via the Hohtürli , another high Alpine hiking pass, on the north flank of the Blümlisalp range. Kandersteg , at the north entrance of the old Lötschberg Tunnel (1913, 14 km), which connects the Bernese Oberland with the German-speaking part of the Valais, opens up to the north to Frutigen where it is joined by the Entschligetal from

300-518: A major north-south axis through the Alps, links the region with both the capital of the canton, Bern , and its sizable southern neighbour, the canton of Valais . The flag of the Bernese Oberland consists of a black eagle in a gold field (in reference to the region's old status as reichsfrei ) over two fields in the cantonal colours of red and black. The Swiss German dialects spoken in the Bernese Oberland are Highest Alemannic German , contrasting with

360-470: A meadow. Alpine transhumance has a strong impact on the production of cheese in the Alps. It ensures that cows, sheep and goats produce high-quality aromatic milk, the so-called Heumilch ("hay milk"), based on their special diet of natural meadow grasses. The use of hay milk in cheese production contributes to the distinctive flavour that determines more than 30 Alpine cheeses, including Alpkäse , Bergkäse and Sura Kees . The chief shepherd in charge of

420-568: Is a traditional practice that has shaped much of the landscape in the Alps, as without it, most areas below 2,000 m (6,600 ft) would be forests. While tourism and industry contribute today much to Alpine economy, seasonal migration to high pastures is still practiced in Bavaria , Austria , Slovenia , Italy , France and Switzerland , except in their most frequented tourist centers. In some places, cattle are taken care of by local farmer families who move to higher places. In others, this job

480-458: Is for herdsmen who are employees of the cooperative owning the pastures. Most Alpine pastures are below 2,400 m (7,900 ft); all are below 2,800 m (9,200 ft). The higher regions not suitable for transhumance are known as the High Alps . The German word Alp or Alm (meaning "seasonal mountain pasture", from Old High German alpa, alba ) is originally identical to

540-680: Is here that the Aare proves itself to be more than just a river, as it attracts thousands of tourists annually to the causeways through the gorge. A little past Meiringen , near Brienz , the river expands into Lake Brienz . Near the west end of the lake it indirectly receives its first important tributary , the Lütschine , by the Lake of Brienz. It then runs across the swampy plain of the Bödeli (Swiss German diminutive for ground) between Interlaken and Unterseen before flowing into Lake Thun . Near

600-537: Is now Switzerland, including the pivotal Battle of Morgarten (1315), which started due to a long-simmering feud between Schwyz and Einsiedeln Abbey . In 2011, the UNESCO declared Alpine transhumance in the Bregenz Forest as intangible cultural heritage. In the valleys along the edge of the Alps, cattle production with associated transhumance was generally the rule. However, in the inner alpine valleys

660-592: Is one of the few valleys on the right side of the Aare. South of Interlaken the short valley of the Lütschine opens to the most well-known valleys of the Bernese Oberland, namely the Lauterbrunnental to the south, and the valley of the Schwarze Lütschine to the east with Grindelwald situated just below the Eiger , Schreckhorn , and Wetterhorn . Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are separated by

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720-736: Is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence ) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland . Its total length from its source to its junction with the Rhine comprises about 295 kilometres (183 mi), during which distance it descends 1,565 m (5,135 ft), draining an area of 17,779 km (6,865 sq mi), almost entirely within Switzerland, and accounting for close to half

780-526: The Aare with its many larger and smaller side-valleys. It makes up the northern side the Bernese Alps and includes most of its highest peaks: Finsteraarhorn (4,274 m (14,022 ft)), Jungfrau (4,158 m (13,642 ft)), Mönch (4,110 m (13,480 ft)), Schreckhorn (4,078 m (13,379 ft)), Gross Fiescherhorn (4,049 m (13,284 ft)) and Lauteraarhorn (4,042 m (13,261 ft)). Other lower ranges partially in

840-600: The Alp and responsible for the cheese production is known as the Senn . The Käsestraße Bregenzerwald (Bregenz Forest cheese trail) in Vorarlberg is an association of farmers which aims at contributing to the maintenance of small scale agriculture and the diversity of local products in the Bregenz Forest . Members of the association include dairymen who will inform tourists about artisan cheese production. Some people spent

900-717: The Bernese Alps , in the canton of Bern and west of the Grimsel Pass . The Finsteraargletscher and Lauteraargletscher come together to form the Unteraargletscher (Lower Aar Glacier), which is the main source of water for the Grimselsee (Lake of Grimsel). The Oberaargletscher (Upper Aar Glacier) feeds the Oberaarsee , which also flows into the Grimselsee. The Aare leaves the Grimselsee just to

960-692: The Brienzer Rothorn , the highest summit of the 30-kilometre-long (19 mi) prominent mountain range dominating the north shore of the Lake Brienz as far as its western end above Interlaken with the Harder . The easternmost section of the ridge constitutes the border with the canton of Lucerne (LU) , but the western part is fully in Bernese territory. The region of Habkern , north of the Harder,

1020-687: The Brünig , Susten (with a Roman mansio ), Grimsel , Lötschen , Gemmi , Rawil , Sanetsch and the Col du Pillon . During the High Middle Ages , a number of Bernese Oberland villages grew around valley parish churches which were religious and cultural centers within each surrounding valley. During the Middle Ages, the Bernese Oberland first belonged to the Kingdom of Burgundy followed by

1080-779: The Gadmertal , on its most eastern point culminates at the Susten Pass just south of the Titlis ( OW ) connecting with the valley of the Alpine Reuss (UR), the northern part of the St. Gotthard Route . The Joch Pass to the northeast at the beginning of the Gental , a foot pass west of the Titlis connecting to the canton of Nidwalden (NW) and further down to the resort Engelberg in

1140-606: The High Alemannic Bernese German spoken in Bern and the northern parts of the canton. In the short-lived Helvetic Republic (1798–1803), the Bernese Oberland was a separate canton . Prehistorically the Bernese Oberland was crossed by hunters or traders, but the first known settlements were from the Roman era . The Romans settled along the river and the lakes. They used a number of alpine passes including;

1200-757: The Kleine Scheidegg pass, which is accessible from both sides via a rack railway, and which is the starting point of the Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch , a saddle between the Jungfrau and Mönch (literally, German Joch translates to yoke ). On the southeastern side of the mountain range formed by Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau lies the head of the largest glacier of the Alps, the Aletsch Glacier , which however entirely lies on

1260-594: The North Sea after crossing into the Netherlands . On May 26, 2022, Indonesia West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil 's eldest child, Emmeril Kahn Mumtadz, was declared missing after being swept away by the river current. Chronologically, Eril was swimming in the river with his sister and friends. When he wanted to rise to the surface, Eril was dragged by a fairly swift current of the river which had previously received help from his friend. The search efforts involving

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1320-607: The Northern Limestone Alps . The transhumance system in the Alps has remained virtually unchanged since at least the High Middle Ages , with a document referring to a summer pasture from 1204. Along the edge of the Alps, starting around 1300 in west and central Switzerland and a little later in eastern Switzerland, cattle production became the primary agricultural activity. A number of specialized cattle markets grew up in Arona , Bellinzona , Como and Varese in

1380-632: The Stockhorn by cable cars to the west, the one summit of the Bernese Oberland with the probably most unobstructive view over the Bernese Lowlands and Thun . Not far from Erlenbach, one can access the Diemtigtal to the south with the Gsür to its very south end, also rising directly above Adelboden. Zweisimmen also connects to Saanen and Gstaad via the small pass of Saanenmöser , with

1440-456: The canton of Obwalden (OW) . North and above of Meiringen is the ski and hiking resort Hasliberg just on the other side of the ski resort Melchsee-Frutt (OW). The low Brünig Pass to the north connects Meiringen and the Haslital with the upper canton of Obwalden and further down to Central Switzerland and Lucerne (LU). Above of Brienz on the northeastern shore of Lake Brienz soars

1500-528: The 19th century many residents of the Simmen valley and the Interlaken district emigrated to North America, Germany or Russia. In the late 19th century, new transportation links made it easier for people to travel into the valleys. The Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon railway opened in 1913 and became the largest privately owned railroad in Switzerland. The collapse of the hotel industry during both world wars forced

1560-611: The 19th century, by the Bishop of Sion . The expansionist policy of the city of Bern led them into the Bernese Oberland. Through conquest, purchase, mortgage or marriage politics Bern was able to acquire the majority of the Bernese Oberland from the indebted local barons between 1323 and 1400. Under Bernese control, the five valleys enjoyed extensive rights and far-reaching autonomy in the Bäuerten (farming cooperative municipalities) and Talverbänden (rural alpine communities). Throughout

1620-620: The Alpine pastures, either helpful or causing mischief; in particular, this is to punish the cruelty or discourtesy of a bad Senn . In many cases, the stories tell about curses on specific Alps , appearances of the devil or spirits of earlier Sennen , etc. In 1997, Austria had over 12,000 sites where 70,000 farmers took care of about 500,000 cattle. Alpine pastures amount to a quarter of the farmland. Bavaria had 1,384 sites hosting 48,000 cattle, about half of them in Upper Bavaria and

1680-740: The Bernese Oberland are the Uri Alps (east) and the Emmental Alps (north). Its largest part and the Alpine part of the Aare before the river enters Lake Brienz is called the Haslital culminating on the Grimsel Pass at its southeastern corner connecting with the Goms in the Upper Valais , and Andermatt in canton of Uri (UR) via the Furka Pass . And its major side-valley, called

1740-469: The Bernese Oberland villagers to sell their cattle. After the French invasion of Switzerland in 1798, the old Bernese order was fractured and the Bernese Oberland was separated from the canton of Bern, forming the canton of Oberland . Within this new canton, historic borders and traditional rights were not considered. As there had been no previous separatist feeling amongst the conservative population, there

1800-454: The Bernese Oberland was somewhat consistent. A main settlement grew on the valley floor below an elevation near 1,100 m (3,600 ft). This main settlement had a market and often a castle or other fortifications. This market town was surrounded by scattered villages, hamlets and individual farm houses to an elevation of 1,600 m (5,200 ft). During the 14th–16th centuries, the Bernese Oberland villages began extensive trading with

1860-431: The Bernese grain producing towns in the lowlands. This allowed the alpine villages to renounce self-sufficiency in grain and focus on raising cattle in the high alpine pastures and bringing them down into the valleys in the winter ( transhumance ). They then exported cattle over the passes into Italy and into the Bernese lowlands. Around 1500, in addition to the seven medieval markets, eleven new cattle markets opened to allow

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1920-624: The Dukes of Zähringen . After the extinction of the Zähringen line, the Bernese Oberland was ruled by a number of local Barons (including Oberhofen, Strättligen, Brienz-Ringgenberg, Wädenswil, Weissenburg). For a time, some of the Walser barons (Raron, vom Turn) ruled portions of the Bernese Oberland. The Saanen valley was ruled by the Counts of Gruyères . Portions of the alpine passes were held, until

1980-497: The Harder on its southeast. At the west end of Lake Thun, at the outlet of the river Aare, lies the town of Thun , which already belongs to the Swiss Plateau, not far from Bern to the northwest. Since 2010, the Bernese Oberland covers one of five administrative regions of the canton of Bern (called German : Verwaltungsregion Oberland ) and consists of four administrative districts with 80 municipalities: Before 2010,

2040-865: The Kander flows through the Frutigtal . Above Spiez rises the Niesen , offering a wide view over the Bernese part of the Swiss Plateau to the northwest. Zweisimmen , still part of the Obersimmental, lies 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Boltigen, the junction of the upper and lower parts of the Simmental. From Erlenbach in the Niedersimmental, the lower valley of the Simme , one can access

2100-605: The Late Middle Ages, the Bernese Oberland, as a whole or in part, revolted several times against Bernese authority. The Evil League ( Böser Bund ) in 1445 fought against Bernese military service and taxes following the Old Zürich War , in 1528 the Bernese Oberland rose up in resistance to the Protestant Reformation and in 1641 Thun revolted. During the Middle Ages, the settlement pattern in

2160-630: The Louwene Valley and the upper valley of the Saane south of Gstaad. After flowing northwards, in Saanen the Saane turns to the west, firstly, in order to become La Sarine in the now French-speaking canton of Vaud (VD) , and secondly, opens a railway connection to Montreux at the eastern shore of Lake Geneva . The Jaun Pass , a road pass, connects the Simmental near Reidenbach with La Gruyère ,

2220-413: The Oberland had consisted of the following districts : The Bernese Oberland is well known for touristic reasons, including the following destinations: 46°40′13″N 7°50′5″E  /  46.67028°N 7.83472°E  / 46.67028; 7.83472 Aare The Aare ( Swiss Standard German: [ˈaːrɛ] ) or Aar ( Swiss Standard German: [aːr] )

2280-446: The Seetal Aabach falls in on the right. A short distance further, below Brugg , it receives first the Reuss , its major tributary, and shortly afterwards the Limmat , its second strongest tributary. It now turns due north, and soon becomes itself a tributary of the Rhine , which it even surpasses in volume when the two rivers unite downstream from Koblenz (Switzerland) , opposite Waldshut in Germany. The Rhine, in turn, empties into

2340-410: The alpine regions. This combined with other reports and alpine paintings started the tourism industry in the Bernese Oberland. By 1800 there were resorts on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz (especially at Interlaken between the two lakes). Shortly thereafter the resorts expanded into the alpine valleys (Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald), and began attracting English guests. However, because of the widespread poverty of

2400-401: The area of the country, including all of Central Switzerland . There are more than 40 hydroelectric plants along the course of the Aare. The river's name dates to at least the La Tène period , and it is attested as Nantaror "Aare valley" in the Berne zinc tablet . The name was Latinized as Arula / Arola / Araris . The Aare rises in the great Aargletschers (Aare Glaciers) of

2460-401: The cattle and then rent the beasts out to small farmers or to herders for the summer. The smaller alpine communities generally did not want "foreign" cattle pastured in their alpine pastures, which led to conflicts between the alpine farming communities and the neighboring cities and monasteries. Conflicts over grazing rights and ownership of the alpine meadows led to several wars within what

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2520-435: The climate was drier which allowed farming even at higher elevations. These areas tended to be mixed between farming and animal husbandry, with the animals being kept mainly for fertilizer and plowing rather than food. However, in both regions the yearly movement was generally similar. Throughout the year, most of the population of the village remained on the valley floor and farmed the surrounding land for grains and hay. In

2580-436: The east to the Grimsel Hospiz, below the Grimsel Pass , and then flows northwest through the Haslital , forming on the way the magnificent Handegg Waterfall, 46 m (151 ft), past Guttannen . Right after Innertkirchen it is joined by its first major tributary, the Gamderwasser. Less than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) later the river carves through a limestone ridge in the Aare Gorge ( German : Aareschlucht ). It

2640-547: The inhabitants of the Alps had practised transhumance for thousands of years, during the Late Middle Ages it became increasingly important as the population decreased following the Black Death and the wars of this era. Cattle production was much less manpower-intensive than farming, which was ideal with the reduced population. However, cattle production is much more capital- and especially land-intensive. Cattle production became an investment opportunity for monasteries and citizens of nearby cities. The investors would purchase

2700-479: The major Swiss engineering feats of the 19th century, the Jura water correction , the river, which had previously rendered the countryside north of Bern a swampland through frequent flooding, was diverted by the Aare-Hagneck Canal into the Lac de Bienne . From the upper end of the lake, at Nidau , the river issues through the Nidau-Büren Canal , also called the Aare Canal, and then runs east to Büren . The lake absorbs huge amounts of eroded gravel and snowmelt that

2760-425: The middle pastures with the pigs. In the regions where breeding dominated, the farms were relatively large and isolated from each other. Where both breeding and farming were mixed, the plots were generally smaller and common fields were shared between the community. During the Middle Ages many fields were converted into meadows, because of the prevalence of the breeding. In the north the fields were rotated without

2820-422: The name of the Alps (German Alpen ) itself, probably a pre-Roman (and possibly pre-Indo-European ) term for "mountain". In French, the corresponding word for "alpine pasture" is alpage . Evidence survives of a transhumance economy in the Alps dating to the later Neolithic period (c. 3000 BC), with evidence for pastures above the treeline reported for the Bronze Age (17th to 11th centuries BCE) in

2880-550: The other half in the Allgäu . In Switzerland , about 380,000 cattle including 130,000 milk cows as well as 200,000 sheep are in summer on high pastures. Milk from cows here is usually made into local cheese specialities, handmade using traditional methods and tools. Alpine pastures amount to 35 percent of Swiss farmland and 13 percent of the entire country. The total population of mountain farmers has decreased to about 43,000 (in 1980) from 160,000 (in 1910). The farmers that are involved in mountain farming only make up about 15% of

2940-585: The police search and rescue team, maritime police, fire department, and authority of the city of Bern. One week after declared missing, Emmeril Kahn Mumtadz was declared dead in absentia at the age of 22. Although on June 9, 2022, Eril's body was located. The funeral procession of Emmeril “Eril” Kahn Mumtadz took place in the family's burial ground located in Cimaung, Bandung regency, West Java. Soon after news about Eril's body brought back to his home, Indonesian netizens review bombed Aare River's Google listing, leaving negative comments and one-star ratings as if

3000-421: The river brings from the Alps, and the former swamps have become fruitful plains: they are known as the "vegetable garden of Switzerland". From here the Aare flows northeast for a long distance, past the ambassador town Solothurn (below which the Grosse Emme flows in on the right), Aarburg (where it is joined by the Wigger ), Olten , Aarau , near which is the junction with the Suhre , and Wildegg, where

3060-415: The soil of the canton of Valais (VS) . Via the upper, southern end of the Lauterbrunnental the experienced hiker can reach the Kandertal by traversing the Tschingel and Kander Neve from northeast to southwest. West of the Lauterbrunnental the Schilthorn rises, separating the valley of the Weisse Lütschine from the Kiental . The Lauterbrunnen Valley is connected to the Kiental via the Sefinafurgga ,

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3120-426: The south and Villeneuve in the west. In these communities on the edge of the Alps, transhumance included both the vertical movement of cattle to the alpine pastures as well as horizontal movement to the cattle markets. In the communities located in the central Alps, the herds were more diverse. Generally there were large herds of sheep with much smaller cattle herds and other animals such as pigs and goats. While

3180-448: The south of the Old City peninsula is the Mattenschwelle  [ de ] , a weir which provides water for the small Matte hydroelectric power plant . River swimming in the Aare is popular in Bern, and the river is sometimes full of bathers on summer days. The river soon changes its northwesterly flow for a due westerly direction, but after receiving the Saane or La Sarine it turns north until it nears Aarberg . There, in one of

3240-422: The southwest, with the ski resort of Adelboden at its southern end. Adelboden and its sister resort Lenk join their respective areas to an extended and unified ski and hiking area across another mountain range. Lenk is situated at the southern end of the Obersimmental, the upper part of the Simmental , which again joins the Kander of the Kandertal just south of Spiez at the southern shore of Lake Thun after

3300-428: The spring the herdsmen took the animals up to the middle pastures on the mountain slopes. In the summer, pigs were left in the middle pastures while the rest of the animals were moved to the high alpine pasture. At the end of September the animals were moved back to the lower pastures and cattle were stabled in the following month. Sheep and goats were stabled in December, unless the winter was mild, then they remained at

3360-418: The valley when La Sarine turns north again, and the town of Bulle in the canton of Fribourg (FR) , west of the Lac de la Gruyère . North of Spiez, right across Lake Thun, on its northern shore, lies the Niederhorn , the south end of the northernmost mountain range of significant elevation of the Bernese Oberland, with the Gemmenalphorn and the Hohgant at the other end, separated by a small valley from

3420-403: The waterway was fully to blame for the tragedy. Transhumance in the Alps Alpine transhumance is transhumance as practiced in the Alps , that is, a seasonal droving of grazing livestock between the valleys in winter and the high mountain pastures in summer ( German Alpwirtschaft, Almwirtschaft from the term for "seasonal mountain pasture", Alp, Alm ). Transhumance

3480-402: The west end of Lake Thun, the river indirectly receives the waters of the Kander , which has just been joined by the Simme , by the Lake of Thun. Lake Thun marks the head of navigation . On flowing out of the lake it passes through Thun , and then flows through the city of Bern , passing beneath eighteen bridges and around the steeply-flanked peninsula on which the Old City is located. To

3540-426: The winters isolated in the high pastures. In Johanna Spyri 's novel Heidi , the " Alp-Öhi "" ("high-pasture grandfather") is such a person, despising and despised by the villagers. Transhumance contributes a great deal to traditional Alpine culture, such as Yodel , Alphorn or Schwingen . Swiss folklore also records many traditional tales about mythological creatures such as dwarves (Barbegazi, etc.) inhabiting

3600-415: Was little enthusiasm for the new order. The 1801 Malmaison Constitution proposed reuniting the canton of Oberland with Bern, but it was not until the Act of Mediation , two years later, with the abolition of the Helvetic Republic and the partial restoration of the ancien régime , that the two cantons were reunited. In 1729, Albrecht von Haller published the poem Die Alpen about his travels through

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