Oberwald, Valais
Encyclopedia
Oberwald is village in the municipality
of Obergoms
in Goms District in the canton
of Valais
in Switzerland
.
It is situated at an elevation of 1377 m and has a population of 230. It is located at the end of the Goms, directly before the Furka
and Grimsel
passes, underneath the Rhône River
source at the Rhône Glacier
.
It is also the startpoint of the Furka Tunnel
.
In the winter season, it is a very pleasant small scale skiing resort. During summertime, it is a place to walk. All year round the panorama on the Alps
is astonishing.
Most inhabitants live off tourism and/or sheep farming; yet Oberwald is also the home of the Ark Linux
headquarters.
Oberwald was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Ulrichen and Obergesteln
to form the municipality Obergoms
.
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...
of Obergoms
Obergoms
Obergoms is a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It was formed on 1 January 2009 when the three municipalities Ulrichen, Obergesteln and Oberwald merged.-History:...
in Goms District 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 Valais
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...
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....
.
It is situated at an elevation of 1377 m and has a population of 230. It is located at the end of the Goms, directly before the Furka
Furka Pass
Furka Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais with Realp, Uri. The Furka-Oberalp-Bahn line through the Furka Tunnel bypasses the pass...
and Grimsel
Grimsel Pass
Grimsel Pass is a Swiss high mountain pass.-Position:It connects the valley of the Rhone River in the canton of Valais and the Haslital in the canton of Bern....
passes, underneath the Rhône River
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
source at the Rhône Glacier
Rhône Glacier
The Rhone Glacier, or sometimes Rhône Glacier is a glacier in the Swiss Alps and the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the Swiss canton of Valais...
.
It is also the startpoint of the Furka Tunnel
Furka Tunnel
The Furka Base Tunnel is a 15.4 km long Swiss rail tunnel that connects Oberwald in the Canton of Valais with Realp in the Canton of Uri. The base tunnel replaced the previous overland track that climbed to an apex of 2160 metres above sea level at the Furka stop below Furka Pass...
.
In the winter season, it is a very pleasant small scale skiing resort. During summertime, it is a place to walk. All year round the panorama on the Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
is astonishing.
Most inhabitants live off tourism and/or sheep farming; yet Oberwald is also the home of the Ark Linux
Ark Linux
Ark Linux is a Linux distribution maintained by a group of volunteers and aims to be easy to install and use. Its default desktop environment is KDE.Ark Linux is available both as an installable CD and as a Live CD, and is free software.-Principles:...
headquarters.
Oberwald was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Ulrichen and Obergesteln
Obergesteln
Obergesteln is a village in the municipality of Obergoms in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.Obergesteln was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Oberwald and Ulrichen to form the municipality Obergoms....
to form the municipality Obergoms
Obergoms
Obergoms is a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It was formed on 1 January 2009 when the three municipalities Ulrichen, Obergesteln and Oberwald merged.-History:...
.