TheBernese Oberland (German:Berner Oberland;Alemannic German:Bärner Oberland;French:Oberland bernois), sometimes also known as theBernese Highlands, is the highest and southernmost part of thecanton of Bern. It is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context it is referred to asOberland without further specification). It constitutes theAlpine region of the canton and the northern side of theBernese Alps, including many of its highest peaks, among which theFinsteraarhorn (4,274 m (14,022 ft)), the highest in both range and canton.
The region essentially coincides with the upper basin of theAare, the latter notably includingLake Thun andLake Brienz, the two large lakes of the region. On the banks of the lakes or the Aare are the main settlements ofThun,Spiez,Interlaken,Brienz andMeiringen. 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. TheLötschberg, 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 ofValais.
The flag of the Bernese Oberland consists of a black eagle in a gold field (in reference to the region's old status asreichsfrei) over two fields in the cantonal colours of red and black.
TheSwiss German dialects spoken in the Bernese Oberland areHighest Alemannic German, contrasting with theHigh AlemannicBernese German spoken inBern and the northern parts of the canton.
In the short-livedHelvetic Republic (1798–1803), the Bernese Oberland was aseparate canton.
Prehistorically the Bernese Oberland was crossed by hunters or traders, but the first known settlements were from theRoman era. The Romans settled along the river and the lakes. They used a number of alpine passes including; theBrünig,Susten (with a Romanmansio),Grimsel,Lötschen,Gemmi,Rawil,Sanetsch and theCol du Pillon.
During theHigh Middle Ages, a number of Bernese Oberland villages grew around valleyparish churches which were religious and cultural centers within each surrounding valley. During the Middle Ages, the Bernese Oberland first belonged to theKingdom of Burgundy followed by the Dukes ofZähringen. 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 theWalser barons (Raron, vom Turn) ruled portions of the Bernese Oberland. The Saanen valley was ruled by the Counts ofGruyères. Portions of the alpine passes were held, until the 19th century, by theBishop of Sion.[1]
The expansionist policy of the city ofBern 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 theBäuerten (farming cooperative municipalities) andTalverbänden (rural alpine communities). Throughout 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 theOld Zürich War,[2] in 1528 the Bernese Oberland rose up in resistance to theProtestant Reformation and in 1641Thun revolted.
During the Middle Ages, the settlement pattern in 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. Thismarket 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 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 the Bernese Oberland villagers to sell their cattle.[1]
After theFrench invasion of Switzerland in 1798, the old Bernese order was fractured and the Bernese Oberland was separated from the canton of Bern, forming thecanton 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 was little enthusiasm for the new order.
The 1801Malmaison Constitution proposed reuniting the canton of Oberland with Bern, but it was not until theAct of Mediation, two years later, with the abolition of the Helvetic Republic and the partial restoration of theancien régime, that the two cantons were reunited.[3]
In 1729,Albrecht von Haller published the poemDie Alpen about his travels through 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 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. TheBern-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 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 1950funiculars, cable cars and chair lifts opened up many of the high alpine villages for winter sports and tourism.[1]
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The Bernese Oberland designates primarily an area around the upper valley of theAare with its many larger and smaller side-valleys. It makes up the northern side theBernese 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)) andLauteraarhorn (4,042 m (13,261 ft)). Other lower ranges partially in the Bernese Oberland are theUri Alps (east) and theEmmental Alps (north).[4]
Its largest part and the Alpine part of the Aare before the river entersLake Brienz is called theHaslital culminating on theGrimsel Pass at its southeastern corner connecting with theGoms in theUpper Valais, andAndermatt incanton of Uri (UR) via theFurka Pass. And its major side-valley, called theGadmertal, on its most eastern point culminates at theSusten Pass just south of theTitlis (OW) connecting with the valley of the AlpineReuss (UR), the northern part of theSt. Gotthard Route. TheJoch Pass to the northeast at the beginning of theGental, a foot pass west of the Titlis connecting to thecanton of Nidwalden (NW) and further down to the resortEngelberg in thecanton of Obwalden (OW). North and above ofMeiringen is the ski and hiking resortHasliberg just on the other side of the ski resortMelchsee-Frutt (OW). The lowBrünig Pass to the north connects Meiringen and the Haslital with the upper canton of Obwalden and further down toCentral Switzerland andLucerne (LU).
Above ofBrienz on the northeastern shore of Lake Brienz soars theBrienzer 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 theHarder. The easternmost section of the ridge constitutes the border with thecanton of Lucerne (LU), but the western part is fully in Bernese territory. The region ofHabkern, north of the Harder, is one of the few valleys on the right side of the Aare.
South of Interlaken the short valley of theLütschine opens to the most well-known valleys of the Bernese Oberland, namely theLauterbrunnental to the south, and the valley of theSchwarze Lütschine to the east withGrindelwald situated just below theEiger,Schreckhorn, andWetterhorn. Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are separated by theKleine Scheidegg pass, which is accessible from both sides via a rack railway, and which is the starting point of theJungfrau Railway to theJungfraujoch, a saddle between the Jungfrau and Mönch (literally, GermanJoch translates toyoke).
On the southeastern side of the mountain range formed by Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau lies the head of the largest glacier of the Alps, theAletsch Glacier, which however entirely lies on the soil of thecanton of Valais (VS). Via the upper, southern end of the Lauterbrunnental the experienced hiker can reach theKandertal by traversing theTschingel andKander Neve from northeast to southwest. West of the Lauterbrunnental theSchilthorn rises, separating the valley of theWeisse Lütschine from theKiental. The Lauterbrunnen Valley is connected to the Kiental via theSefinafurgga, a high Alpine hiking pass, and further to the Kander Valley via theHohtürli, another high Alpine hiking pass, on the north flank of theBlümlisalp range.
Kandersteg, at the north entrance of the oldLötschberg Tunnel (1913, 14 km), which connects the Bernese Oberland with the German-speaking part of the Valais, opens up to the north toFrutigen where it is joined by theEntschligetal from the southwest, with the ski resort ofAdelboden at its southern end. Adelboden and its sister resortLenk 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 theSimmental, which again joins theKander of the Kandertal just south ofSpiez at the southern shore ofLake Thun after the Kander flows through theFrutigtal. Above Spiez rises theNiesen, offering a wide view over the Bernese part of theSwiss 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. FromErlenbach in the Niedersimmental, the lower valley of theSimme, one can access theStockhorn by cable cars to the west, the one summit of the Bernese Oberland with the probably most unobstructive view over the Bernese Lowlands andThun. Not far from Erlenbach, one can access theDiemtigtal to the south with theGsür to its very south end, also rising directly above Adelboden.
Zweisimmen also connects toSaanen andGstaad via the small pass ofSaanenmöser, with the Louwene Valley and the upper valley of theSaane south of Gstaad. After flowing northwards, in Saanen the Saane turns to the west, firstly, in order to becomeLa Sarine in the now French-speakingcanton of Vaud (VD), and secondly, opens a railway connection toMontreux at the eastern shore ofLake Geneva.
TheJaun Pass, a road pass, connects the Simmental near Reidenbach withLa Gruyère, the valley whenLa Sarine turns north again, and the town ofBulle in thecanton of Fribourg (FR), west of theLac de la Gruyère.
North of Spiez, right across Lake Thun, on its northern shore, lies theNiederhorn, the south end of the northernmost mountain range of significant elevation of the Bernese Oberland, with theGemmenalphorn and theHohgant at the other end, separated by a small valley from the Harder on its southeast.
At the west end of Lake Thun, at the outlet of the river Aare, lies the town ofThun, which already belongs to the Swiss Plateau, not far fromBern to the northwest.
Since 2010, the Bernese Oberland covers one of five administrative regions of the canton of Bern (calledGerman:Verwaltungsregion Oberland)[5] and consists of four administrative districts with 80 municipalities:[6]
Before 2010, the Oberland had consisted of the followingdistricts:[citation needed]
The Bernese Oberland is well known for touristic reasons, including the following destinations:
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46°40′13″N7°50′5″E / 46.67028°N 7.83472°E /46.67028; 7.83472
