Saxeten
Encyclopedia
Saxeten is a municipality
in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
in the canton
of Bern in Switzerland
.
In 1999 it was the site of an incident where 21 tourists and local canyon guides were killed in a flash flood in Saxetenbach canyon.
It is located near the center of the Bödeli
watershed.
The Saxetenbach flows through Saxeten, before it joins the Lütschine
in Wilderswil
.
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
which received 57% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
(13.7%), the local small left-wing parties (8.5%) and the Green Party
(7%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 34.4% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 48.4% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.2%. In Saxeten about 54.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
).
Saxeten has an unemployment rate of 1.84%. , there were 26 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 1 person is employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 8 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 2 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
.
, New Zealand
, England
, South Africa
, and Switzerland died.
48 people from 2 coach tour parties had opted to do a side activity of canyoning where you float, swim and climb through an area, such as a gorge. It was organised by Adventure World, a now defunct company who were located in Wilderswil, not far from Saxeten.
At 6pm, flash floods began pouring through the gorge and 21 people within the group were swept to their deaths. 18 were tourists and 3 were canyon guides. By 7pm, the stories had hit the world's news screens, and the hotels people were staying in were bombarded with phone calls, but the staff only saw what was on television.
The survivors were rescued and then questioned by Swiss Polizei before being released and returned to their hotel at 1am the next morning. Until then they had no idea how many people had died nor the enormity of the disaster.
Identifying the dead bodies was a serious problem for the Swiss authorities, the bodies were badly trauamtised. 11 survivors opted to go and identify the dead at the mortuary, but many had to be identified through DNA and dental analysis.
Families were desperate to see for themselves what had happened, and Swissair along with Swiss medical services provided meet & greet sessions for families, and also much councelling for those who had been present.
Bodies of the dead washed up in Lake Brienz, a popular boating lake during peak Summer tourist season.
Since the incident, there has been much rumour released into the press about what happened. Emergency services claim they sent someone to tell the group of the impending storms, and families of the dead claim that the company should have seen the signs of the weather. Swiss authorities were quick to blame profit making and general negligence as the cause of the accident.
Some years on, Adventure World have gone out of business their former premises by Wilderswil Station are now occupied by a Bank. 8 former employees of the firm have been charged with manslaughter.
Municipalities of Switzerland
Communes , also known as municipalities, are the smallest government division in Switzerland, numbering 2,596 . While many have a population of a few hundred citizens, the largest cities such as Zürich or Geneva also have the legal status of municipalities...
in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district
Interlaken-Oberhasli (administrative district)
Interlaken-Oberhasli District in the Canton of Bern was created on 1 January 2010. It is part of the Oberland administrative region. It contains 29 municipalities with an area of and a population of 48,763....
in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Bern in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
In 1999 it was the site of an incident where 21 tourists and local canyon guides were killed in a flash flood in Saxetenbach canyon.
Geography
Saxeten has an area of 19.2 km² (7.4 sq mi). Of this area, 41.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.4% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (26.7%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).It is located near the center of the Bödeli
Bödeli
Bödeli is the tongue of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. Lake Thun and Lake Brienz were not yet separate after the last ice age. The rivers Lütschine from the south and the Lombach from the north brought enough debris to cause a partitioning over the...
watershed.
The Saxetenbach flows through Saxeten, before it joins the Lütschine
Lütschine
The Lütschine is a river in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.It flows from Zweilütschinen, where its two tributaries join, on a length of 8.6 km through the Bödeli and into Lake Brienz at Bönigen....
in Wilderswil
Wilderswil
Wilderswil is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is situated at the southern border of the Bödeli watershed, where the Saxetenbach joins the Lütschine, south of Interlaken. The village is situated at the foot of the mountains...
.
Demographics
Saxeten has a population (as of ) of . , 1.9% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -21.7%. Nearly all of the population speaks German (99.2%), with a small minority speaking other languages which were not recorded in the census.In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
which received 57% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
(13.7%), the local small left-wing parties (8.5%) and the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
(7%).
The age distribution of the population is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 34.4% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 48.4% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.2%. In Saxeten about 54.4% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule
Fachhochschule
A Fachhochschule or University of Applied Sciences is a German type of tertiary education institution, sometimes specialized in certain topical areas . Fachhochschulen were founded in Germany and later adopted by Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Greece...
).
Saxeten has an unemployment rate of 1.84%. , there were 26 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 12 businesses involved in this sector. 1 person is employed in the secondary sector and there is 1 business in this sector. 8 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 2 businesses in this sector.
The historical population is given in the following table:
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 56 |
| 1850 | 120 |
| 1900 | 170 |
| 1950 | 112 |
| 2000 | 128 |
Transportation
Saxeten is the starting point of a number of routes: the Suls-Lobhorn-Hütte, over the Rengglipass to Aeschiried, and through Wilderswil to the Schynige PlatteSchynige Platte
The Schynige Platte is a Swiss mountain region near Wilderswil where the Schynige Platte Railway ends .In good weather conditions the summit offers spectacular views to many surrounding mountains, including Jungfrau, Eiger, Silberhorn and others, as well as Thunersee and Brienzersee...
.
Saxetenbach Disaster
On July 27, 1999, there was an accident in the Saxetenbach canyon, just above the village of Saxeten, in which 21 young people from AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and Switzerland died.
48 people from 2 coach tour parties had opted to do a side activity of canyoning where you float, swim and climb through an area, such as a gorge. It was organised by Adventure World, a now defunct company who were located in Wilderswil, not far from Saxeten.
At 6pm, flash floods began pouring through the gorge and 21 people within the group were swept to their deaths. 18 were tourists and 3 were canyon guides. By 7pm, the stories had hit the world's news screens, and the hotels people were staying in were bombarded with phone calls, but the staff only saw what was on television.
The survivors were rescued and then questioned by Swiss Polizei before being released and returned to their hotel at 1am the next morning. Until then they had no idea how many people had died nor the enormity of the disaster.
Identifying the dead bodies was a serious problem for the Swiss authorities, the bodies were badly trauamtised. 11 survivors opted to go and identify the dead at the mortuary, but many had to be identified through DNA and dental analysis.
Families were desperate to see for themselves what had happened, and Swissair along with Swiss medical services provided meet & greet sessions for families, and also much councelling for those who had been present.
Bodies of the dead washed up in Lake Brienz, a popular boating lake during peak Summer tourist season.
Since the incident, there has been much rumour released into the press about what happened. Emergency services claim they sent someone to tell the group of the impending storms, and families of the dead claim that the company should have seen the signs of the weather. Swiss authorities were quick to blame profit making and general negligence as the cause of the accident.
Some years on, Adventure World have gone out of business their former premises by Wilderswil Station are now occupied by a Bank. 8 former employees of the firm have been charged with manslaughter.