Gitschenen
Gitschenen is the highest settlement in the municipality of Isenthal in the canton of Uri in Switzerland that is inhabited all year round .
geography
Gitschenen is located in the west of the Isenthal community on a sun terrace. The alp can only be reached on foot or via a cable car . The area borders on the cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden . The year-round inhabited part is at an altitude of around 1550 m above sea level. M.
On the dry meadows , the low moors , the alpine meadows, by the stream and in the forest of Gitschenen there is an enormous variety of species in a small space, both in plants and animals. In the years 1990/91 266 different day and night butterflies were counted. The micro-endemic species of hair snail (Trocholus biconicus) was also found on the slopes of the Kaiserstuhl and the Schwalmis .
population
In 2008, 24 people lived on Gitschenen all year round. Six of the seven families ran farms, one ran the Gitschenen inn. Workers from the Gasthaus Gitschenen and other people also live here temporarily.
The year-round settlement of Gitschenen began in the 1920s, before the first railway was built. The first generation to grow up here was born in the 1920s to 1940s. Four of these children still live here today, three of them with their children and grandchildren.
The second generation grew up in the 1950s to 1970s. Three of these children live on Gitschenen. The birth of the new generation began a little before the year 2000. In 2008 there were 10 children living on Gitschenen.
Surname
The name Gitschenen is derived from the dialect word Gutsch and means a striking elevation, summit, mountain ledge or hood. In many cases, it also refers to curved slopes, which is probably most appropriate for Gitschenen. It is also the name of a good lookout point.
tourism
development
Alongside mountain agriculture, tourism is the most important source of life on Gitschenen. It already existed in the early settlement period and before the construction of the first railway. During the summer there were foreign guests in almost every house, while the families moved closer together. In some houses a small kitchen was already set up on the upper floor.
The inn was built between 1955 and 1957 and was doubled in size in 1964. At the same time, the cable car was built at its current location, so that more day tourists could come. In the 1950s and 1960s, the first holiday homes and a small ski lift were built.
Gitschenen is now so popular that a second guest house, the Alpstubli, has been opened. With sleep in the straw and individual holiday apartments, there is a wide range of options. The Alpine course center was built in the Gasthaus Gitschenen in the late 1980s. It offers courses in ancient handicrafts and folk music .
Sights and excursion destinations
The modern Betrufkapelle was consecrated in 1994 (architect Kurt Stalder). A strongly meditative interior was created with windows in four basic colors and sparingly placed, symbolic signs (artistic design Paul Diethelm). One of the main design motifs of the chapel is the “Betruf”, an alpine blessing that has been a custom on Gitschenen for centuries.
On Gitschenen there is a nature trail that is laid out as a circular route. It leads through a wide variety of alpine habitats. The Alp is also the starting point for a number of rewarding hikes. One reaches from here z. B. the Brisen , the Schwalmis , the Klewenalp or Wolfenschiessen .
In winter, Gitschenen is chosen as a stage destination for ski tourers. There is a ski lift on Gitschenen.
literature
Eva-Maria Müller: The Gitschenen experience. Guide to an alp in the Uri mountains . Gamma Druck und Verlag, Altdorf 2006, ISBN 978-3-906200-20-0
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 54 ' N , 8 ° 30' E ; CH1903: six hundred and eighty thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven / 194903