Lauterbrunnen is a small, busy and bustling, picturesque village of approximately 900 lucky individuals who call it home!! The village lies at the entrance to, and the bottom of the beautiful Lauterbrunnen Valley, an area of outstanding natural beauty, which is surrounded by the majestic snow clad peaks of the Eiger (3970m), Monch (4107m) and the Jungfrau (4158m) in the Bernese Oberland of the Canton of Bern. Above the village the well known landmark of the Staubbach Falls drops 300 metres, adding to the already magnificent scenery of the area. The Lauterbrunnen Valley was formed during the last ice age and is known as a ‘U’ shaped valley, due to its shape and steep sides, with typically many waterfalls pouring over the rocky valley walls. Lauterbrunnen Valley is also known as the ‘valley of 72 waterfalls’, with the Staubbach Falls being the highest free falling waterfall in Europe!!
The Lauterbrunnen municipality consists of six small villages – namely Wengen which is the largest village, Murren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg. Isenfluh, and of course, Lauterbrunnen. Five of these villages have worked as one community for hundreds of years, being joined in 1973 by Isenfluh. All of the villages have their own traditions and customs, and are happy to work as a community while still proud of their independence. Lauterbrunnen is an ideal starting point to make excursions to other areas of the valley and the whole Jungfrau region, the Trummelbach Falls, the Schilthorn and Piz Gloria (2970 m), Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe (3454 m) and the Mannlichen, plus many more. During the summer months the location amongst the mountains and rivers offers many outdoor activities, such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, white water rafting, canyoning, paragliding, bungy jumping, and of course in the winter, skiing, snow boarding, cross country skiing, sledging, snowshoe trekking, ice-climbing and winter hiking!! There are good hiking trails in the Lauterbrunnen valley, which connect to 500 kilometres of well maintained hiking trails in the whole Jungfrau region.
The Valley has a 300 year old tradition of lace making, which is still practiced by a dedicated few, who show their work every Tuesday at the old Schoolhouse in Lauterbrunnen. There are also regular courses being run in the local school. During the 19th century up to 300 local women were involved in lace making, supplementing the family income with their efforts. Today the traditional intricate designs are still used, which have been passed down through generations of lace makers. Special craft shops in the village offer a wide selection of lace work for sale, which is made by local lace makers.
The village has its own railway station, giving access to such places as the remarkable and exciting Jungfraujoch, ‘Top of Europe’ at 3454 metres, where stands the highest railway station in the world!! From the top it is possible to see the Vosges Mountains in France and the Black Forest in Germany. It is from here that the great Aletsch Glacier begins, which at 22 kilometres long is the longest ice-stream in the Alps!! The Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn area is the first UNESCO World Heritage site in the Alpine region, and has been listed for being an outstanding natural region with scenic contrasts, and contains the most magnificent mountain scenery in the European Alps.
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