Wilderswil

Wilderswil
State :	Switzerland
Canton :	Bern (BE)
Administrative district :	Interlaken-Oberhasli
BFS no. :	0594
Postal code :	3812
Coordinates :	632 760  /  168286 coordinates: 46 ° 39 '54 "  N , 7 ° 52' 0"  O ; CH1903:  six hundred and thirty-two thousand seven hundred sixty  /  168286
Height :	586  m above sea level M.
Height range :	571–2376 m above sea level M.
Area :	13.19  km²
Residents:	2658 (December 31, 2018)
Population density :	185 inhabitants per km²
Mayor :	Marianna Lehmann ( FDP )
Website:	www.wilderswil.ch
Kirchstrasse, Oberdorf
Location of the municipality

Wilderswil is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland .

geography

Wilderswil - view of the Jungfrau

The village is located in the southern part of the Bödeli , at the entrance to the Lütschine valleys, mainly on the alluvial cone created by the Saxetbach . The highest point of the municipality is the Sulegg at 2,413  m above sea level. M.

history

Aerial photo (1952)

The area was settled by Alemanni around 600. The place name should also come from them. During the construction of a hotel in 1895, a burial ground with 15 graves with 18 skeletons and grave goods was found.

Wilderswil was first mentioned in a document in 1224 and has long been part of the Gsteig parish near Interlaken .

The place was ruled by the barons of Rotenfluh-Wilderswil , later also by the lords of Wädiswil, Weissenburg and Scharnachtal. In 1334 Bern defeated the Weissenburgers; Wilderswil came under Bernese rule. In 1515, the city ​​of Bern definitely took over Unspunnen castle and rule .

The area became known through the Unspunnenfeste (alpine shepherd festivals) of 1805 and 1808, which the Bernese mayor Niklaus Friedrich von Mülinen initiated.

On the reed, Professor Adolf Wach had built 3 houses in which he regularly spent his summer holidays.

With the rise of tourism, the construction of the Bernese Oberland Railways from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and the Schynige Platte Railway to the Schynige Platte panoramic mountain , Wilderswil developed from a farming village into a holiday resort.

population

Population development
year	1850	1880	1900	1930	1950	1980	1990	2000	2010	2015
Residents	1,145	1,400	1,554	1'605	1,669	1,649	1,918	2,238	2,501	2,614

coat of arms

The coat of arms of Wilderswil shows a billy goat and is in the colors of the district of Interlaken (black / white). The coat of arms has existed for 300 years.

politics

• Legislative is the municipal assembly.
• Executive is the local council with 7 members, presided over by the mayor.
• All authority members work part-time.

economy

Tourism , trade and agriculture form the economic basis. There are jobs at the railways, nationally and internationally active companies and in trade.

tourism

Wilderswil station with trains of the Bernese Oberland-Bahn and Schynige Platte-Bahn

Wilderswil is a starting point for excursions in the Jungfrau region or in general to the Bernese Oberland . Wilderswil has 16 hotels, motels and inns with 900 guest beds, holiday apartments with 300 guest beds and a campsite with summer operation.

Summer: From the Wilderswil train station of the Bernese Oberland Railways, the Schynige Platte Railway goes to the Schynige Platte panoramic mountain. The nearby Lakes Thun and Brienz offer swimming and water sports . There are opportunities for hiking in the mountains or in the vicinity of the village. A nature and train adventure trail leads along the Lütschine to Zweilütschinen . Adventure sports such as canyoning , paragliding and river rafting are offered.

Winter: The Jungfrau region with the ski areas Mürren- Schilthorn , Männlichen - Kleine Scheidegg and Grindelwald- First can be reached by train or car. Sledging opportunities exist in Saxeten .

traffic

Wilderswil is a few kilometers south of Interlaken on the A8 motorway . The road from Interlaken to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen leads through the village.

Since July 1, 1891, Wilderswil has been served by the Bernese Oberland-Bahnen (BOB) railway line from Interlaken via Zweilütschinen to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen .

In addition, Wilderswil has been the starting point of the Schynige Platte Railway (SPB), which goes to Schynige Platte, since June 14, 1893 .

Attractions

See also : List of cultural assets in Wilderswil

• the St. Michaels Church Gsteig ,
• the old mill village museum, with special exhibitions in summer,
• the cultural trails at the entrance to the Lütschine valleys.
• the typical Bernese-Oberland houses and fountains of the village.
• the ruins of Unspunnen and Rotenfluh (model in the village museum).

photos

• 

  Gsteig Church

• 

  Typical chalets

• 

  Old mill, village museum

• 

  Hotel Heimat, Lehngasse

• 

  Unspunnen castle ruins

• 

  The virgin in the sunset from Wilderswil

Personalities

• Alfred A. Häsler (1921–2009), journalist and writer
• Manfred Miethe (* 1950), writer, translator
• Urs Räber (* 1958), skier

Web links

Commons : Wilderswil  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Wilderswil community
• Anne-Marie Dubler : Wilderswil. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Permanent resident population from STAT-TAB of the BfS , municipalities see also regional portraits 2020 on bfs.admin.ch, accessed on May 29, 2020
2. ↑ Staff: Community search . Population. In: Official website of the FSO. Federal Statistical Office FSO , 2015, accessed on August 29, 2017 (submitted by Wilderswil ).