Wengen, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald and Stechelberg are all part of the political municipality of Lauterbrunnen, and since 1973, the previously independent municipality of Isenfluh has also been part of Lauterbrunnen. All six villages have their own traditions and histories, but they solve communal issues together.
The residential municipality of Lauterbrunnen is made up of the villages of Gimmelwald, Isenfluh, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Stechelberg and Wengen.
Lauterbrunnen lies at 795 metres above sea level in an impressive trough valley between gigantic rock faces and peaks. 72 waterfalls cascade over the rock faces into the valley. The Staubbach Waterfall – one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in Europe – inspired Goethe to write his poem “Song of the Spirits over the Waters”. Lauterbrunnen is the starting point for many excursions. In summer, there are many hiking trails and mountain biking trails to explore.
In winter, you can hit the nearby Mürren-Schilthorn and Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen ski slopes. One of the longest ski runs takes you from the Schilthorn down to Lauterbrunnen – a descent with a difference in altitude of over 2,000 metres. For cross-country skiers, Lauterbrunnen offers around 16 kilometres of trails alongside the icy waterfalls.
In 1240, Lauterbrunnen was mentioned in a letter as “in claro fonte”, which basically means “by the clear spring(s)” or “by the bright spring(s)”. The name of the scattered settlement therefore probably refers to the more than 70 waterfalls as clear springs (hence Lauter) and streams (hence Brunnen). The Walser (Valais) village of Lauterbrunnen was the main colony of the people of Lötschen who settled in the Oberland in the 14th century.
Lauterbrunnen rectory 1780
In the middle of the 18th century, Europeans began to be fascinated with the Alps. Educated and aristocratic visitors and many others besides were drawn to the Lauterbrunnen Valley by a desire to relax in the fresh mountain air, an interest in exploring the Alps, a desire for athletic achievement and pursuing greater heights, and an appreciation of the beauty of nature in the high mountains. Poetry and writings by Albrecht von Haller, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Lord Byron and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe fuelled the flow of visitors to the area. In Lauterbrunnen, visitors were allowed to spend the night in the rectory, which was equipped to accommodate travellers. They also had the option of staying at the Steinbock inn (L’Auberge du Capricorne) at the far end of the village or of spending the night in a farmer’s hay barn. From the middle of the 19th century, modest inns began to spring up all over the region. The composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809–1847), who was also a painter and frequent visitor to the Lauterbrunnen Valley, produced the oldest known drawing of Wengen and many other interesting drawings and watercolours of the region.
Hotel Staubbach Lauterbrunnen 1839
Hotel Staubbach is next to the Lauterbrunnen church, in front of which the legendary Lötscher bell from the 15th century still stands. For many years, the main attraction for travellers was not the high peaks, but the waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, and especially the Staubbach Waterfall. That is why Christian von Almen (1815–1882) built Hotel Staubbach at the far end of the main street in Lauterbrunnen: the site has unrivalled views of the world-famous waterfall. The hotelier was passionate about the region and he even supported its infrastructure: for example, he contributed to the cost of the telegraph line to the valley. He had to work against many people who were opposed to change or who were envious of his success, but nevertheless unable to stop the development of tourism.
In his final years, Christian von Almen made preparations to make the Trümmelbach Waterfalls accessible to tourists. He acquired the land from the Lütschine to the rocky gorge in order to do this. His sons, Hans and Peter, took over Hotel Staubbach and the land, while his son Fritz (1855–1895) inherited the Trümmelbach Waterfalls. The first and second waterfalls were made accessible to the public in 1886. Hotel Trümmelbach opened in 1888. The Trümmelbach Waterfalls became a popular tourist attraction. This invigorated the valley, which also benefited Lauterbrunnen and Stechelberg.
Hotel Jungfrau Wengernalp
There has been a mountain hut on the popular Wengernalp Trail since 1818. Applications for a business licence were submitted soon after that. However, the Wengernalp mountain community was not granted its first licence for an inn until 1834 due to opposition from the Lauterbrunnen innkeepers. They eventually built an inn on the site where Hotel Jungfrau is today. Once, there was nothing here but milk, cheese, bread and strawberries, but then the hotel “De la Jungfrau” was built in 1841. It quickly became established as a favourite base for mountaineers. The hotel has been extended and renovated several times. One reason for this is that it has been damaged several times by the dreaded Föhn storms and by fire (it burned down completely in 1865). The von Almen zum Trümmelbach family has owned the hotel since 1958.
Hotel Bellevue Kleine Scheidegg
In 1835, the mountain inn “Zur Gemse” was built from a mountain hut on the Kleine Scheidegg pass. The first owner, Peter Brawand, was considered a capable innkeeper, but perhaps because the competition from the inn on the Wengernalp was too stiff, he had to sell the building to the Seiler-Wyss family from Bönigen in 1840. They built Hotel Bellevue in 1842 and successfully expanded the summer tourism trade on Kleine Scheidegg over the following decades. Hotel Des Alpes was built in 1896. In 1925, ownership of Hotel Bellevue passed to the son-in-law of the family, Fritz von Almen zum Trümmelbach (1890–1965), who went on to become an important entrepreneur and influential politician (belonging to the “Freisinnige Partei”) who worked tirelessly to promote tourism in the region.
Hotel Silberhorn in Mürren
In 1857, Heinrich von Allmen from the Winteregg mountain community built the first inn and guesthouse among the 35 sun-baked little farmhouses of Mürren. The simply-named “Hotel Silberhorn” opened in 1858. Before the hotel opened, the farmers along the route to the Schilthorn used to offer hikers hay barns to sleep in, and milk and soup for sustenance.
Pension Lauener Wengen
The history of tourism in Wengen began in a house made of Jura stone by the Kneubach. Christian and Anna Lauener-Gertsch hosted the first holidaymakers here in their home, which included a forge. In 1859 they built a modest guesthouse with six rooms and in 1860 they built the “Pension Lauener”, which could sleep 30 guests. Christian Lauener had a particular skill that many biographies of successful hoteliers and important pioneers of tourism and alpinism in the region document as crucial to success: he spoke a foreign language (French).
Grand Hotel und Kurhaus Mürren
In 1870, the enterprising leaseholder of Hotel Silberhorn in Mürren built his own hotel, “Hotel Mürren”, on the land in front of Hotel Silberhorn. He later also took over Hotel Silberhorn. In the 1980s, following several extensions, the two hotels were joined together and developed into a successful large-scale business called the “Grand Hotel und Kurhaus”. At the turn of the century, the hotel was awarded a star in Karl Baedeker’s famous “Handbook for Travellers”.
Hotel des Alpes Mürren
The stately Hotel des Alpes opened on the lower main street (“Hehmatten” street) in Mürren in 1872. In 1884, it was destroyed by fire during a terrible Föhn storm and was then rebuilt as the even grander and more beautiful Grand Hotel des Alpes. This marked the beginning of Mürren’s heyday as a successful spa resort. Staying in Mürren was a way to show good taste and be part of the romantic lifestyle. Nobles, politicians, poets, painters and scholars all sought relaxation and inspiration in Mürren. Sir Henry Lunn and his company Alpine Sports Ltd. acquired the Grand Hotel des Alpes around 1912 and continued to run it as the Hotel Palace.
Pension Wengen
In 1880, the Christian Lauener family built the first “Hotel und Pension Wengen”, where almost 100 guests could stay in comfort. The son Ulrich and his French wife managed the hotel. It had its own power station, which was something very unusual at the time. The power station was built to light the buildings in 1895. The family owned four hotels, including the Silberhorn and Alpenrose, but they also built a chapel and some farms.
New professions in tourism
Tourism opened up brand new employment opportunities for the local population. Whole new professions developed as a result. In addition to working in the hotels, locals also earned money by providing convenience for the guests. For example, people hired out their horses and mules to transport luggage, there were porters who took guests up to the Schilthorn or Kleine Scheidegg in a carrying chair and young lads even organised summer sledging from Mürren to Lauterbrunnen for visitors. The lads removed the metal rails from the sledges so they could be used on the bare rock in summer. It is said that the bare wooden runners slid over the rock quite quickly. Before long, visitors were no longer satisfied with just climbing up to the passes, so they began to climb the high Alpine peaks: the Jungfrau (1811), the Mönch (1857), the Eiger (1858), the Breithorn (1865) and the Gspaltenhorn (1869). That is how the profession of mountain guide came about. The Lauener brothers from Lauterbrunnen are legends in this profession.
Follow in Goethe’s footsteps
The soul of man
Resembleth water:
From heaven it cometh,
To heaven it soareth
And then again
To earth descendeth,
Changing ever.
(Goethe)
Lauterbrunnen Valley is the valley of 72 waterfalls. Discover the fascinating landscape of the most beautiful trough valley in the Alps and get up close and personal with the waterfalls. Get a close-up view of the falls and feel the tremendous energy emanating from the water. Hike from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg and marvel at the height and beauty of these waterfalls that thunder like no others. The walk is easy and fairly flat so it is also suitable for pushchairs.
The most famous waterfalls
Staubbach Waterfall
The key landmark of Lauterbrunnen and one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in Europe. Made famous by the poem by J.W. von Goethe “Song of the Spirits over the Waters”.
Mürrenbach Waterfall
The mighty falls. During snowmelt and heavy rainfall, the torrents of water foam and cascade over the 417 metre high Mürrenfluh.
Trümmelbach Waterfalls
The ten glacier waterfalls inside the mountain – awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide. On hot summer days with heavy thunderstorms, water thunders through the narrow gorge at a rate of up to 20,000 litres per second.
Talbach Waterfall
Discover this hidden pearl, the Talbach Waterfall in the Upper Lauterbrunnen Valley, in the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn UNESCO World Heritage Site. See how the water here has pierced the hard rock like an arrow and then collected in a foaming cauldron. The drainage basin of the “Talbach” stream is the Tschingel-Lütschine area.