Wengen, Switzerland
Encyclopedia
Wengen is a village in the Bernese Oberland
in the canton of Bern, located in central Switzerland
at an elevation
of 1274 m (4180 ft.) above sea level, and is part of the Jungfrauregion
. Wengen has approximately 1,300 year-round residents. This number swells to 5,000 during summer and to 10,000 in the winter tourist season.
Over the centuries many historic figures have visited Wengen: Julius Caesar
, Napoleon
, Adolf Hitler
, as well as luminaries in science, business, sports and mountaineering
. Originally a farming community, the first tourists started to arrive in the mountain village during the early 19th century. One of the first visitors was Felix Mendelssohn
. In 1817 the publication of Mary
and Percy Bysshe Shelley
's History of a Six Weeks' Tour
and Byron
's Manfred
, in which the scenery of the area is described, was the advent of the tourism industry for the village.
The opening of the Launerhaus in 1859, with accommodation for 30 guests, saw the first guest hotel in the village; and by 1880 the Pension Wengen was available to 100 guests. Tourism greatly expanded after the construction of the Wengernalpbahn
in the 1890s. As well as hotels, there are many apartments for summer tourists and skiers to rent.
In the early 20th century, British tourists started ski-clubs in the area, beginning in the nearby village of Mürren. By 1903 Wengen had an Anglican Church and two years later, Sir Henry Lunn
formed the Public Schools Alpine Sports Club with Wengen as a destination ski area for the members. A British Methodist
minister, Lunn first visited the area to organize a meeting of Protestant churches in nearby Grindelwald
where he learned about winter sports such as skiing. He returned to the area in 1896 with his son Arnold
, who quickly learned to ski, and both father and son realized the potential in the future of winter sports. The club was established a few years later. Members of the Public Schools Alpine Sports Club were required to have attended an English public school or one of the "older universities". Wengen's Curling Club was established in 1911.
The first ski races
were held in the early 1920s with the British downhill championship held in 1921; the following year a ski race was held between Oxford
and Cambridge
. These events were the first to have downhill races as opposed to nordic races, which were held in other Swiss resorts. In Wengen, skiers requested use of the train system for access to the slopes; for some years trains were the earliest ski-lifts in the area. Arnold Lunn used the natural terrain of the mountains for the courses; the downhill event followed the slopes above Wengen and was called the "straight down": skiers went straight down the mountain. Also during this period, Lunn invented, and introduced in Wengen, the first slalom
race, in which skiers followed the terrain through the trees, replaced with ski gates in later years. These events are considered the birth of modern ski racing
and Alpine skiing
.
, Isenfluh
, Gimmelwald
, Stechelberg
and Lauterbrunnen
, Wengen forms the political commune of Lauterbrunnen
.
and Avoriaz
, although for ecological reasons other resorts are considering following the examples of these resorts.
Wengen is serviced by the Rack railway
system Wengernalpbahn
(WAB), and the village is accessible directly from Lauterbrunnen
, or by train from Grindelwald
via Kleine Scheidegg
, as well as by a series of gondola lifts from Grindelwald via Mannlichen
. In Kleine Scheidegg, the mountain pass at the foot of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, passengers must disembark and change trains to travel down to Grindelwald and Grund. The rail service from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen railway station
runs daily from early in the morning until very late at night and is the most intensively operated section of the Wengernalpbahn
. There are approximately 40 services between Lauterbrunnen to Wengen every day. Each service may consist of up to 4 separate trains, running closely behind each other because during busy periods, the scheduled train can be followed by additional trains as necessary, optimizing capacity
The uphill journey takes around 14 minutes, and the downhill journey takes 17 minutes. The downhill services take longer because they arrive at the midpoint passing place below Wengwald
slightly earlier than the uphill services, allowing the uphill services to pass them and proceed to Wengen without stopping. All trains now use the less steep but slightly longer route via Wengwald. The old route runs across the foot path to Wengen, however it was abandoned after the new route was created. All freight is delivered by rail from Lauterbrunnen into a depot underneath the passenger railway station, and refuse is returned from the village also by rail. Every day one or two non-passenger trains goes from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen and back caring large items such as furniture.
The cable car
Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen
operates seasonally. The view from the tram and from Mannlechin above, affords clear vistas of Wengen and much of Lauterbrunnen Valley and small villages.
Wengen hosts the internationally well-known Lauberhorn
ski races, and it is on the route of the Jungfrau Marathon
.
Since 1930, the Lauberhorn ski races have been held in Wengen. The races traditionally consist of a downhill run, a slalom
, and a combined
event. In addition to being one of the technically most challenging downhill races, the Lauberhorn is the longest race in the FIS
World Cup circuit and arguably the most scenic. The top racers complete the 4.455 km (2.77 mi.) run in about 2.5 minutes and the top speeds reached at Haneggschuss are the highest on the circuit.
Wengen is also the home of The Downhill Only Club, one of the oldest British
alpine ski clubs, founded there in 1925.
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 the canton of Bern, located in central 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....
at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 1274 m (4180 ft.) above sea level, and is part of the Jungfrauregion
Jungfrauregion
The Jungfrauregion is a region located in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. It is named after the famous mountain Jungfrau .-Towns located within the Jungfrauregion:*Grindelwald*Mürren*Lauterbrunnen*Interlaken*Unterseen*Wengen...
. Wengen has approximately 1,300 year-round residents. This number swells to 5,000 during summer and to 10,000 in the winter tourist season.
History
Wengen was first mentioned in official documents in 1268. The origin of the name is unknown.Over the centuries many historic figures have visited Wengen: Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, 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...
, Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, as well as luminaries in science, business, sports and mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
. Originally a farming community, the first tourists started to arrive in the mountain village during the early 19th century. One of the first visitors was Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
. In 1817 the publication of Mary
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
and Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
's History of a Six Weeks' Tour
History of a Six Weeks' Tour
History of a Six Weeks' Tour through a part of France, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland; with Letters Descriptive of a Sail Round the Lake of Geneva and of the Glaciers of Chamouni is a travel narrative by the British Romantic authors Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley...
and Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
's Manfred
Manfred
Manfred is a dramatic poem written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of a Romantic closet drama...
, in which the scenery of the area is described, was the advent of the tourism industry for the village.
The opening of the Launerhaus in 1859, with accommodation for 30 guests, saw the first guest hotel in the village; and by 1880 the Pension Wengen was available to 100 guests. Tourism greatly expanded after the construction of the Wengernalpbahn
Wengernalpbahn
Wengernalpbahn is a 19.091 km long, gauge rack railway line in Switzerland, which runs from Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, making it the world's longest continuous rack and pinion railway....
in the 1890s. As well as hotels, there are many apartments for summer tourists and skiers to rent.
In the early 20th century, British tourists started ski-clubs in the area, beginning in the nearby village of Mürren. By 1903 Wengen had an Anglican Church and two years later, Sir Henry Lunn
Henry Simpson Lunn
Sir Henry Simpson Lunn was an English humanitarian and religious figure, and also founder of Lunn Poly, one of the UK's largest travel companies....
formed the Public Schools Alpine Sports Club with Wengen as a destination ski area for the members. A British Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
minister, Lunn first visited the area to organize a meeting of Protestant churches in nearby Grindelwald
Grindelwald
Grindelwald is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located at above sea level in the Bernese Alps.-Winter sports:...
where he learned about winter sports such as skiing. He returned to the area in 1896 with his son Arnold
Arnold Lunn
Sir Arnold Henry Moore Lunn was a famous skier, mountaineer and writer. He was knighted for "services to British Skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations" in 1952.He was born in Madras, India and died in London.-Early life:...
, who quickly learned to ski, and both father and son realized the potential in the future of winter sports. The club was established a few years later. Members of the Public Schools Alpine Sports Club were required to have attended an English public school or one of the "older universities". Wengen's Curling Club was established in 1911.
The first ski races
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
were held in the early 1920s with the British downhill championship held in 1921; the following year a ski race was held between Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. These events were the first to have downhill races as opposed to nordic races, which were held in other Swiss resorts. In Wengen, skiers requested use of the train system for access to the slopes; for some years trains were the earliest ski-lifts in the area. Arnold Lunn used the natural terrain of the mountains for the courses; the downhill event followed the slopes above Wengen and was called the "straight down": skiers went straight down the mountain. Also during this period, Lunn invented, and introduced in Wengen, the first slalom
Slalom
To slalom is to zigzag between obstacles. It can refer to:Sports:*Alpine Slalom skiing*Whitewater slalom/kayaking*Freestyle slalom skating*Slalom skateboarding*Slalom water skiing*Slalom ice skating*Slalom windsurfing...
race, in which skiers followed the terrain through the trees, replaced with ski gates in later years. These events are considered the birth of modern ski racing
Ski racing
Ski racing may refer to:* Ski Racing * Alpine ski racing* Randonnée racing* Speed skiing* Nordic ski racing or cross-country ski racing* Ski marathon* Biathlon ski racing* Water ski racing* Grass skiing* Skijoring...
and Alpine skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
.
Politics
Together with villages of MürrenMürren
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....
, Isenfluh
Isenfluh
Isenfluh is a hamlet in Switzerland, north of the road from Wilderswil to Lauterbrunnen.In 1973, Isenfluh, together with Wengen, Muerren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg and Lauterbrunnen, became part of the municipality of Lauterbrunnen....
, 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...
, Stechelberg
Stechelberg
Stechelberg is a small village in the glacier carved Lauterbrunnen valley of the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland, sitting at the base of the Jungfrau mountain...
and Lauterbrunnen
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...
, Wengen forms the political commune of Lauterbrunnen
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...
.
Transport
It is one of very few car-free resort villages in Europe, although there are a few service vehicles, local farm vehicles, electric vehicles for taxiing to and from the railway station. The only other resorts in the Alps to follow the restrictions on vehicles are ZermattZermatt
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants....
and Avoriaz
Avoriaz
Avoriaz is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. It is located in the territory of the commune of Morzine. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses-junction on the A40 motorway between Geneva and Chamonix...
, although for ecological reasons other resorts are considering following the examples of these resorts.
Wengen is serviced by the Rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
system Wengernalpbahn
Wengernalpbahn
Wengernalpbahn is a 19.091 km long, gauge rack railway line in Switzerland, which runs from Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, making it the world's longest continuous rack and pinion railway....
(WAB), and the village is accessible directly from Lauterbrunnen
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...
, or by train from Grindelwald
Grindelwald
Grindelwald is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located at above sea level in the Bernese Alps.-Winter sports:...
via Kleine Scheidegg
Kleine Scheidegg
The Kleine Scheidegg is a high mountain pass below and between the Eiger and Lauberhorn peaks in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. It connects Grindelwald with Lauterbrunnen. The name means "minor watershed", even though it is actually higher than the neighbouring Grosse Scheidegg...
, as well as by a series of gondola lifts from Grindelwald via Mannlichen
Männlichen
The Männlichen is a 2,343 metre mountain in the Swiss Alps located within the Canton of Berne.It can be reached from Wengen by the Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen cable-car, or from Grindelwald using the Gondelbahn Grindelwald-Männlichen gondola. It then takes 15 minutes to walk to the summit...
. In Kleine Scheidegg, the mountain pass at the foot of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, passengers must disembark and change trains to travel down to Grindelwald and Grund. The rail service from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen railway station
Wengen railway station
-History:The station was opened on 18 April 1892. In 1899 the station was rebuilt and a depot was constructed. In 1905 the station was reconstructed with level platforms, having previously had an angle of 73°....
runs daily from early in the morning until very late at night and is the most intensively operated section of the Wengernalpbahn
Wengernalpbahn
Wengernalpbahn is a 19.091 km long, gauge rack railway line in Switzerland, which runs from Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, making it the world's longest continuous rack and pinion railway....
. There are approximately 40 services between Lauterbrunnen to Wengen every day. Each service may consist of up to 4 separate trains, running closely behind each other because during busy periods, the scheduled train can be followed by additional trains as necessary, optimizing capacity
The uphill journey takes around 14 minutes, and the downhill journey takes 17 minutes. The downhill services take longer because they arrive at the midpoint passing place below Wengwald
Wengwald railway station
Wengwald railway station is a request stop station on the Wengernalpbahn in the Swiss canton of Bern....
slightly earlier than the uphill services, allowing the uphill services to pass them and proceed to Wengen without stopping. All trains now use the less steep but slightly longer route via Wengwald. The old route runs across the foot path to Wengen, however it was abandoned after the new route was created. All freight is delivered by rail from Lauterbrunnen into a depot underneath the passenger railway station, and refuse is returned from the village also by rail. Every day one or two non-passenger trains goes from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen and back caring large items such as furniture.
The cable car
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...
Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen
Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen
seen from the upper Männlichen terminus of the cableway.]]The Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen is a cable car linking Wengen with the Männlichen in Switzerland.-History:*1949 The Wengen committee was formed.*1953 Construction started....
operates seasonally. The view from the tram and from Mannlechin above, affords clear vistas of Wengen and much of Lauterbrunnen Valley and small villages.
Recreation
Lauberhorn
The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level....
ski races, and it is on the route of the Jungfrau Marathon
Jungfrau Marathon
The Jungfrau Marathon is one of the best known mountain marathons in the world, in full view of the famous Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains in the Bernese Oberland area of the Swiss Alps....
.
Since 1930, the Lauberhorn ski races have been held in Wengen. The races traditionally consist of a downhill run, a slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
, and a combined
Alpine skiing combined
Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:...
event. In addition to being one of the technically most challenging downhill races, the Lauberhorn is the longest race in the FIS
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
World Cup circuit and arguably the most scenic. The top racers complete the 4.455 km (2.77 mi.) run in about 2.5 minutes and the top speeds reached at Haneggschuss are the highest on the circuit.
Wengen is also the home of The Downhill Only Club, one of the oldest British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
alpine ski clubs, founded there in 1925.