Stechelberg
Encyclopedia
Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.The municipality lies in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and comprises the villages Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Mürren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg and Isenfluh...
valley of the Bernese Oberland
Bernese Oberland
The Bernese Oberland is the higher part of the canton of Bern, Switzerland, in the southern end of the canton: The area around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the valleys of the Bernese Alps .The flag of the Bernese Oberland consists of a black eagle in a gold field The Bernese Oberland (Bernese...
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....
, sitting at the base of the Jungfrau
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps, situated between the cantons of Valais and Bern in Switzerland...
mountain. The village is connected by the Luftseilbahn Stechelberg-Mürren-Schilthorn (LSMS), an aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
, to the car-free skiing and hiking villages of Gimmelwald
Gimmelwald
Gimmelwald is a small village in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland, halfway up the mountain between Stechelberg and Mürren, at an elevation of 1363 meters...
, Mürren
Mürren
Mürren is a traditional Walser mountain village in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, at an elevation of 1,650 m above sea level and unreachable by public road....
and the Schilthorn
Schilthorn
The Schilthorn is a 2,970 metre high summit in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland, above Mürren.It has a panoramic view which spans from the Titlis, Jungfrau, Mönch, Eiger, over the Bernese Alps and the Jura mountains up to the Vosges Mountains and the Black Forest...
, and over on the other side of the valley above the cliffs sits the car free village and resort of Wengen
Wengen
Wengen may refer to:*Wengen, a village and winter resort in Switzerland*La Val, a commune in South Tyrol, Italy with the German name "Wengen"*in Germany:**Wengen , a village in the municipality of Nennslingen in Mittelfranken...
. The village is surrounded by steep mountains, cliffs, and waterfalls, and is separated from the canton Wallis
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
to the south by a line of jagged peaks and glaciers. It is on the northern entrance to a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage site, the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area
Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area
The Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area is located in south-western Switzerland between the cantons of Berne and Valais. It is a mountainous region in the easternmost side of the Bernese Alps, containing the northern wall of Jungfrau and Eiger, and the largest glaciated area in western Eurasia,...
, with the longest glacier in the Alps, as well as high jagged peaks, cliffs and crags, alpine forest and meadows, and plentiful waterfalls and flowers.The Alpenhof, formerly a naturfreundehaus (nature friends house) sits here in Stechelberg near the entrance to the park and is still running as a Bed & Breakfast, open all year round. There are 72 waterfalls in the immediate region and they are especially impressive after a heavy rain, and the highest waterfall in Switzerland, Staubbach Falls
Staubbach Falls
The Staubbach Falls is a waterfall in Switzerland, located just above Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland. The waterfall drops about 300 metres from a hanging valley that ends in overhanging cliffs above the Lütschine River.The stream, on reaching the verge of the rocky walls of the valley,...
,(300m)(1000ft) is located in the valley.
Herding and grazing dairy animals is important to the area, and so is tourism. They have created plentiful hiking opportunities and scenic walks in all directions for visitors, with very steep trails for the fit, to flat valley floor strolls at the bases of many of the highest waterfalls in Switzerland, or else downhill walks accessed by cable cars. There is a large amount of infrastructure in the area, and many small cabins and chalets in out of the way places, yet the area has striven to keep a natural feel while maintaining the modern conveniences and comforts. The area still has some small traditional festivals, and also traditional puppet shows, such as the style from in The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music (film)
Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...
, can be popular with both young and old. The Swiss Jungfrau Triathlon also takes place here and runs by the village.
Located at the head of the Lauterbrunnen valley at the south end, the area had iron ore near Trachsellauenen and the ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
of an ore smelting plant still exist. Part of the area near Trachsellauenen was deforested for mining and grazing, and so has been declared a protected natural area (Naturschutzgebiet
Naturschutzgebiet
A Naturschutzgebiet is a category of protected area within German Federal Conservation Law .- Points of law :...
) to keep it in its present condition.
In spring/summer/fall the valley floor meadows and pastures, as well as the mountainside alpine pastures and clearings in the forest, are loaded with colorful floral displays including some rare and endangered flowers, as well as peacefully grazing cows, sheep, and unique half black/half white shaggy long-horned goats. Many of the farmhouses sell assorted home made goods, including their prized individual special cheeses and meats. In winter many of the waterfalls freeze up, and in spring they gradually crumble apart loudly thundering the entire valley. As well throughout the year one hears the thundering of glaciers as chunks break off.
In summer, and sometimes in winter, base jumpers spring off the thousand foot cliff edges, leaping down and flying through the air only to pull the cords on their parachutes at the last second. Bungee jumping
Bungee jumping
Bungee jumping is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The tall structure is usually a fixed object, such as a building, bridge or crane; but it is also possible to jump from a movable object, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter, that...
was popular as well from the high cliffs, yet an accident by an American tour company has stopped this later practice for now. The base jumpers, however, continue to defy death on the sheer cliff sides in this glacier sculpted valley. In both winter and summer, para-gliders run and launch off Murren's (1650M) meadows above and sail around in the air around the waterfalls and the sheer rock cliff face, down to Stechelburg's grassy farm fields.
Stechelberg is accessed by Lauterbrunnen from the terminal train station, or a small road up the valley, and the only other way, in all other directions, excepting by helicopter, is to hike there over sheer steep terrain. The extremely high and steep cliffs around the village are prone to avalanches (Lawinen în German) and on February 6, 2003, two avalanches fell onto the village. The inhabitants have precautionary measures however, such as shelters along the road up the valley for people to take cover under, so the damage was limited to some broken windowpanes. The school was closed for some days, and the villagers were forced to live on stockpiled supplies, because they could not leave the houses.
External links
- http://www.stechelberg.ch