Unspunnenfest
Encyclopedia
Unspunnenfest is a festival held in the town of Interlaken
, Switzerland
, near the old ruin of Unspunnen Castle
, in the Bernese Alps
, approximately once every twelve years, most recently in 2006. The festival highlights traditional Swiss culture
and features competitions of Steinstossen
(stone throwing), Schwingen
(wrestling) and yodeling
. The stone throwing competition uses an 83.5 kg (184.1 lb) stone known as the Unspunnenstein ("Unspunnen Stone"), made of Aare granite
from the Hasli
valley.
, when local lord Burkard von Unspunnen and the founder of the city of Bern, Berchtold V von Zähringen were able to reconcile their differences.
The first official festival was held on August 17, 1805, in a similar effort: Napoleon
had just invaded Switzerland, and the event was seen as a way of unifying the nation. Furthermore, the people of the Bernese Oberland
had formed a separate canton in the Helvetic Republic
, leading the Mayor of Bern, Niklaus Friedrich von Mülinen and Interlaken's chief magistrate
, Franz Ludwig Thormann (and others) to organize this festival in an effort to bring both sides together. It was, unfortunately, not very successful in that regard, and conflicts continue to exist between rural and urban dwellers today. Culturally and financially, however, the first two festivals were a great success. The Swiss Heritage Society
and the Swiss Traditional Costume Association owe their origins to the Unspunnen Festival.
A second competition was held in 1808, but the original 184 lb (83 kg) stone was lost in the intervening years, and the 1808 festival used a 167 lb (76 kg) stone. The third festival was not organized until the centenary in 1905, using the 1808 stone, now with the dates 1805 and 1905 carved into it. However, it wasn't until 1946 that the festival, then known as the Swiss Traditional Costume and Cowherd's Festival, was held at regular intervals. After 1946, the Unspunnenfest was staged at regular intervals: 1955, 1968, 1981 and 1993.
In 1999, a photographer was led to a private residence in Brussels
, where he was shown what was claimed to be the 1808 Unspunnenstein. He took photographs as evidence, which members of the Interlaken Gymnastic Club, who had commissioned the 1984 replacement stone, identified as authentic. The stone was delivered mysteriously to Shawne Fielding-Borer (American-born wife of the then Swiss ambassador to Berlin
), packaged as confectionery
, at a festival held in the village of Saignelégier
, in the canton of Jura
in August 2000. However, the stone had been damaged. Unhappy with the result of the Swiss national referendum in 1992, in which the Swiss population decided against participation to the European Economic Area
(EEA), the Belier Group had engraved twelve stars in the stone, symbolising the European Union
, as well as the date of the referendum, December 6, 1992, and their own emblem. As a result, the stone lost 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) in weight, and could no longer be used for competitions.
The 1808 stone was once again stolen on August 20, 2005 from a hotel in Interlaken. A small stone was left behind by the thieves bearing the emblem of Jura. The French-speaking separatists did not claim responsibility this time, but did issue a statement in support of the theft. Its whereabouts remain unknown.
The last Unspunnenfest was held in September 2006: it was originally to have been held one year earlier, but excessive flooding caused the postponement of the festival. The winner of the stone throwing competition threw the Unspunnenstein a distance of ..
The next competition is scheduled on 4 September 2011.
Interlaken
Interlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...
, 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....
, near the old ruin of Unspunnen Castle
Unspunnen Castle
Unspunnen Castle is a castle, now in ruins, located in the Bernese highlands of Switzerland. The castle, likely constructed in the early 12th century, overlooks the city of Interlaken, and is a short distance from the village of Wilderswil....
, in the Bernese Alps
Bernese Alps
The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Lucerne, Obwalden, Fribourg and...
, approximately once every twelve years, most recently in 2006. The festival highlights traditional Swiss culture
Culture of Switzerland
Strong regionalism in Switzerland makes it difficult to speak of a homogeneous Swiss culture. The influence of German, French and Italian culture on their neighbouring parts cannot be denied. The Rhaeto-Romanic culture in the eastern mountains of Switzerland is robust.-Folk arts:Folk art is kept...
and features competitions of Steinstossen
Steinstossen
Steinstossen is the Swiss variant of stone put, a competition in throwing a heavy stone. Practiced among the alpine population since prehistoric times, it is recorded to have taken place in Basel in the 13th century. During the 15th century, it is frequently recorded to have been practiced...
(stone throwing), Schwingen
Schwingen
' , also known as Swiss wrestling and natively as , is a style of folk wrestling native to Switzerland, more specifically the pre-alpine parts of German-speaking Switzerland.Wrestlers wear with belts that are used for taking holds...
(wrestling) and yodeling
Yodeling
Yodeling is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal or chest register to the falsetto/head register; making a high-low-high-low sound.The English word yodel is derived from a German word jodeln meaning "to...
. The stone throwing competition uses an 83.5 kg (184.1 lb) stone known as the Unspunnenstein ("Unspunnen Stone"), made of Aare granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
from the Hasli
Hasli
Hasli is a Swiss toponym. It may refer to:*the Oberhasli region in the Bernese Oberland*a village in Muri, AG*Niederhasli...
valley.
History
The history of the festival dates back to the 13th century, in the meadows of Unspunnen CastleUnspunnen Castle
Unspunnen Castle is a castle, now in ruins, located in the Bernese highlands of Switzerland. The castle, likely constructed in the early 12th century, overlooks the city of Interlaken, and is a short distance from the village of Wilderswil....
, when local lord Burkard von Unspunnen and the founder of the city of Bern, Berchtold V von Zähringen were able to reconcile their differences.
The first official festival was held on August 17, 1805, in a similar effort: Napoleon
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
had just invaded Switzerland, and the event was seen as a way of unifying the nation. Furthermore, the people 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...
had formed a separate canton in the Helvetic Republic
Helvetic Republic
In Swiss history, the Helvetic Republic represented an early attempt to impose a central authority over Switzerland, which until then consisted mainly of self-governing cantons united by a loose military alliance, and conquered territories such as Vaud...
, leading the Mayor of Bern, Niklaus Friedrich von Mülinen and Interlaken's chief magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, Franz Ludwig Thormann (and others) to organize this festival in an effort to bring both sides together. It was, unfortunately, not very successful in that regard, and conflicts continue to exist between rural and urban dwellers today. Culturally and financially, however, the first two festivals were a great success. The Swiss Heritage Society
Swiss Heritage Society
The Swiss Heritage Society is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of Switzerland’s architectural heritage. Its focus is on the preservation of important landmarks, the development of the structural environment, and the promotion of good architectural design.The SHS was founded...
and the Swiss Traditional Costume Association owe their origins to the Unspunnen Festival.
A second competition was held in 1808, but the original 184 lb (83 kg) stone was lost in the intervening years, and the 1808 festival used a 167 lb (76 kg) stone. The third festival was not organized until the centenary in 1905, using the 1808 stone, now with the dates 1805 and 1905 carved into it. However, it wasn't until 1946 that the festival, then known as the Swiss Traditional Costume and Cowherd's Festival, was held at regular intervals. After 1946, the Unspunnenfest was staged at regular intervals: 1955, 1968, 1981 and 1993.
Modern times
In 1984, the 1808 stone was stolen by members of the Belier Group (Jura separatists) from Unterseen museum on Sunday June 3, 1984, and held as a "political hostage". A new stone was found, this one weighing , similar to the 1808 stone, and has been used in all competitions since. This stone can currently be found in the counter hall of Interlaken UBS Bank.In 1999, a photographer was led to a private residence in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, where he was shown what was claimed to be the 1808 Unspunnenstein. He took photographs as evidence, which members of the Interlaken Gymnastic Club, who had commissioned the 1984 replacement stone, identified as authentic. The stone was delivered mysteriously to Shawne Fielding-Borer (American-born wife of the then Swiss ambassador to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
), packaged as confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
, at a festival held in the village of Saignelégier
Saignelégier
Saignelégier is a municipality in the canton of Jura in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district of Franches-Montagnes. On 1 January 2009, the formerly independent municipalities of Goumois and Les Pommerats merged into Saignelégier....
, in the canton of Jura
Canton of Jura
The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...
in August 2000. However, the stone had been damaged. Unhappy with the result of the Swiss national referendum in 1992, in which the Swiss population decided against participation to the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
(EEA), the Belier Group had engraved twelve stars in the stone, symbolising the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, as well as the date of the referendum, December 6, 1992, and their own emblem. As a result, the stone lost 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) in weight, and could no longer be used for competitions.
The 1808 stone was once again stolen on August 20, 2005 from a hotel in Interlaken. A small stone was left behind by the thieves bearing the emblem of Jura. The French-speaking separatists did not claim responsibility this time, but did issue a statement in support of the theft. Its whereabouts remain unknown.
The last Unspunnenfest was held in September 2006: it was originally to have been held one year earlier, but excessive flooding caused the postponement of the festival. The winner of the stone throwing competition threw the Unspunnenstein a distance of ..
The next competition is scheduled on 4 September 2011.