Adelboden
| Adelboden | ||||||||||
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| Population | 3,552 (December 2002[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 40 /km² (104 /sq.mi.) | |||||||||
| Area | 88.2 km² (34.1 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 1,350 m (4,429 ft) | |||||||||
| - Highest | 3242 m - Grossstrubel | |||||||||
| - Lowest | 1045 m - Engstligen valley | |||||||||
| Postal code | 3715 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0561 | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Diemtigen, Frutigen, Kandersteg, Lenk im Simmental, Leukerbad (VS), Sankt Stephan | |||||||||
| Website | www.3715.ch | |||||||||
  Adelboden
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Adelboden is a municipality in the district of Frutigen in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.
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Geography
Adelboden lies in the west of the Berner Oberland, at the end of the valley of the Engstlige river, which flows in Frutigen into the Kander river.
Adelboden is a traditional Swiss mountain village on a terrace looking south to the Engstligen waterfalls. Also part of the village are the inhabited valleys of Gilbach, Stigelschwand, Boden, Hirzboden, and Ausserschwand. Church and main street are on 1350 m, the highest point of the area is the Grossstrubel with 3,242 m, the lowest point is on 1,045 m in the Engstligen valley.
The vegetation is alpine and sub-alpine, partially wooded, the slopes, the plateaus, and terraces usually alp meadows.
The most salient mountains are Lohner (3,049 m), Steghorn (3,146 m), Wildstrubel (3,243 m), Fitzer (2,458 m), Tschenten (2,025 m) (mountain railway) and Gsür (2,708 m).
History
The alps Engstligenalp and Silleren belonging to Adelboden are mentioned for the first time in the 13th century. The inhabitants of Engstligental are called forest people. In the 15th century Adelboden got its own church and there were over 50 house fathers vouching for the salary of the minister.
In the 16th century Adelboden joined the Reformation, the Catholic minister fled over the Hahnenmoospass to the Catholic Canton of Fribourg.
Up to the 19th century, the only way to Frutigen was high on the south slope of the Engstligen valley and often impassable in winter. In the late 19th century a road along the Engstligen river was built joining Adelboden to the rest of the world.
In the 1870s the first boarding house was opened by one of the local teachers. It developed into a hotel, which is still in the possession of the same family (hotel Hari im Schlegeli). Around the turn of the century tourism led to a big increase in the population.
Adelboden was the destination of the first packaged winter sports holidays (vacations), organised by Sir Henry Lunn in 1903.
Into the 1930s the aerial ropeway to the Engstligenalp was built with further ropeways following. The Silleren area was up into the 1980s accessible by buses.
Rafael Sabatini died and is buried in Abelboden.
Main sights and cultural events
- Engstligen falls: the Engstligen river falls 600 m over rocks into the depth and forms one of the most impressive waterfalls in the Bernese Oberland. Very impressive is the "Alpaufzug" when 350 cows are driven upward on the narrow seam path through the cliff to the summer pasture on the Engstligenalp.
- Engstligenalp: plateau at 2000 m altitude
- The town's church, with early-20th centuries glassworks by Alberto Giacometti.
Cultural events include:
- FIS Alpine World Cup alpine ski races (January/February)
- Vogellisi-Festival (Live music, July)
- Kammermusic-festival (Chamber music, July)
Languages
The language is Adelbodnertütsch, which belongs to the Bernese Oberland dialects with some loans from Valais dialects and belongs to Highest Alemannic.
Government
Legislation is adopted by the twice annual general assembly.
Executive is the local council with nine members, all of them honorary.
Economics
Adelboden has a good mixture of agriculture, local industry (wood building companies, mineral water source) and tourism. People work in tourism, (approx. 490 persons), other services (approx. 500 persons), construction industry (approx. 310 persons), automobile industry (approx. 30 persons), mineral water source (approx. 45 persons) and agriculture (fulltime approx. 45 persons), taxidermy (fulltime approx. 16 persons)
Tourism and sport
Tourism in Adelboden is specially aligned to families. Adelboden has 24 hotels with 1,291 beds, 3,800 vacation homes with 15,200 beds, 28 group accommodations with 1,830 beds, 3 camping sites and 40 restaurants.
In the summer there are 200 km of hiking trails, from sedate walks to alpine climbing-routes. Numerous mountain railways lead up to the mountains. Additional offers are numerous mountain bike routes, airplane model construction on Hahnenmoospass with workshop, wind and landing opportunities.
In the winter there are ski runs of all degrees of difficulty, including the world cup giant slalom run on the Kuonisbärgli as well as cross country skiing trails. Further offered are 40 km of winter hiking trails. For snowboarders there are freeride and freestyle runs.
The Adelboden slalom and giant slalom are considered classic events of the FIS Alpine World Cup.
Traffic
Adelboden has only one incoming road connecting from Frutigen which connects via Spiez to the N6 and Berne. There is no transit traffic.
Frutigen is a train station of the Lötschberg line, connecting to Berne and Brig and is connected to Adelboden via regular post bus services.
There is an old mountain pass route via Engstligenalp and Chindbettipass to the Gemmi Pass and into the Valais which is still used by hikers, and another connection via Hahnenmoospass into the valley of Lenk which was formerly used as a trade route to the lake of Geneva.
Schools
In Adelboden there is a primary school, middle-school and a secondary school, the nearest high school is in Frutigen.
See also
- History of skiing
External links
- Adelboden tourism (German)
- Adelboden tourism (English)
- Vogellisi-Festival (German)
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