Lungern
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| Lungern | ||||||||||
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| Population | 1,951 (December 2003) | |||||||||
| - Density | 43 /km² (112 /sq.mi.) | |||||||||
| Area | 44.99 km² (17.4 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 715 m (2,346 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 6078 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 1405 | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Brienzwiler (BE), Giswil, Hasliberg (BE), Hofstetten bei Brienz (BE), Kerns, Meiringen (BE), Sachseln | |||||||||
| Website | www.lungern.ch | |||||||||
  Lungern
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Lungern is a municipality in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. It has a population of 1950 (as at the end of 2005). Lungerersee is located within the municipality.
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[edit] Geography
The village of Lungern lies 750 metres (2460 ft) above sea level in the highest part of the canton of Obwalden, on the lake of Lungern and at the foot of the Brünig Pass. It is the highest village of the Sarneraa-Valley, and is situated in a basin that is open only to the north and is surrounded on all other sides by steep and woody inclinations and rocks. The municipal district of Lungern has an area of 46.33 square kilometres (11 400 acres (1.6 km²)), of which 6.48 km² (1690 acres) are meadow and tilled land, 19.2 km² (4740 acres) are pastureland, 15.97 km² (3950 acres) are wooded and the remaining 2.91 km² (720 acres) are unproductive.
The village of Lungern is divided into three districts: on the northern part of the lake is Kaiserstuhl/Bürglen; the town center lies on the eastern side of the lake; and the hamlet Obsee is situated on the southern side of the lake and might be the best maintained part of the old village. There you will still find old houses in their original structure and style.
[edit] History
The first legal proof of Lungern's existence is contained in a tax register for the diocese of the bishop of Konstanz in Germany dating from the year 1275.
At the end of the 18th century the population of Lungern lowered the level of the lake, with great effort and over many years, in order to improve living conditions. The works created new land for agriculture, housing, and a sawmill. Within 80 years the hard-won land was lost to a new dam: in 1920 a company named CKW started running a power station located at the lake. Nowadays the local power station (EWO) produces electricity from the power of the water of the Lungerersee.
| 1275 | first documentary evidence for the village of Lungern |
| 1861 | construction of the old road over the Brünig |
| 1886 | first post-coage over the Brünig |
| 1888 | last post-coage over the Brünig |
| 1888 | opening of the railroad going from Brienz to Alpnachstad |
| 1887 | big flood of the Eibach, damaging the old church |
| 1893 | consecration of the neo-gothic style church |
| 1922 | construction of the power station |
| 1942 | electrification of the railroad over the Brünig |
[edit] Population and Economy
Nowadays the village of Lungern has about 1950 inhabitants. The population is stable, so there is a rise in the ratio of old people to total population. In fact 17.5% of the total population of Lungern are of a pensionable age, compared with an average of 12% in the canton. If work opportunities remain limited this will likely grow even further in the future.
| Citizens of Lungern | 1320 | 67.7% |
| Citizens of other cantons of Switzerland | 519 | 26.6% |
| Foreigners (aliens) | 111 | 5.7% |
Economically, agriculture, forestry and wood-working are predominant. The constitution of the working population is as follows:
| 24% | Agriculture and forestry |
| 40% | Artisan/Craftsman |
| 13% | Commercial business and teaching staff |
| 12% | Self-employed persons |
| 11% | Domestic and hotel employees |
Agriculture comprises cattle-breeding and dairy-farming. All of the agricultural farms are cultivated by native highlanders, and they are mainly situated not in the bottom of the valley but on its slopes.
[edit] Culture and Leisure
[edit] Churches
There is one Catholic church and one chapel. The church is fairly new, about 110 years old, because the old one got destroyed in a flood of the lake.
[edit] Leisure time
The main sights of Lungern are:
- the old church tower (Alter Kirchturm), a neo-Gothic church, and the hamlet Obsee.
- the aerial passenger tramway for skiers Panoramawelt Lungern Schönbüel
- the underground shooting range Brünig Indoor
[edit] External links
- Official site of the municipal Lungern
- Tourism Lungern
- Lungern in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
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