The Niesen is a mountain peak of the Bernese Alps in the Canton of Bern , Switzerland . The summit of the mountain is 2,362 metres (7,749 ft) in elevation.
5-637: It overlooks Lake Thun , in the Bernese Oberland region, and forms the northern end of a ridge that stretches north from the Albristhorn and Mannliflue , separating the Simmental and Kandertal valleys. Administratively, the summit is shared between the municipalities of Reichenbach im Kandertal to the southeast, and Wimmis to the west and north. Both municipalities are in the canton of Bern . The summit can be reached easily by using
10-594: Is the largest Swiss lake entirely within a single canton. The lake was created after the last glacial period . After the 10th century, it split from Lake Brienz , before which the two lakes were combined, as Wendelsee ("Lake Wendel"). The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is the Finsteraarhorn at 4,274 metres (14,022 ft) above sea level. Lake Thun's approximate 2,500 square kilometres (970 sq mi) catchment area frequently causes local flooding after heavy rainfalls. This occurs because
15-551: The Niesenbahn funicular from Mülenen (near Reichenbach ). The construction of the funicular was completed in 1910. Alongside the funicular is the longest stairway in the world, with 11,674 steps. It is only open to the public once a year for a stair run event. Originally the mountains name was Yesen. «An Yesen» transformed to Niesen. Yesen is yellow gentian and still flowers on the Niesen to this day. Because of its shape,
20-526: The Niesen is often called the Swiss Pyramid. The Niesen may have influenced some modernist paintings by Paul Klee , in which an abstracted pyramidal form is seen. Lake Thun Lake Thun ( German : Thunersee ) is an Alpine lake in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland named after the city of Thun , on its northern shore. At 48.3 km (18.6 sq mi) in surface area, it
25-568: The river Aare ( German : Aare ), which drains Lake Thun, has only limited capacity to handle the excess runoff. The lake is fed by water from Lake Brienz to the southeast, which is 6 metres (20 ft) higher than Lake Thun, and various streams in the Oberland, including the Kander . In 1835, passenger steamships began operating regularly on the lake. Ten passenger ships, operated by the local railway company BLS AG like Blümlisalp , serve
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