23, From Lucerne over the Brünig to Brienz (and Meiringen).
Comp. Maps, pp. 54, 102.
36 1/2 M. Steamboat from Lucerne to Alpnach-Gestad 4 times daily in 1 1/4 hr.; Diligence from Alpnach-Gestad to Brienz 3 times daily in 6 hrs., and also to Meiringen once daily in 6 hrs. (passengers for Meiringen change carriages at Lungern). From Brienz travellers may at once proceed (steamboat corresponds with diligence) to Bönigen (Interlaken), and thence to Därligen and Thun, so that the journey from Zürich to Interlaken, and from Lucerne to Bern may be accomplished in one day (railway, see p. 95). Tickets to Interlaken are obtained at the post-office (branch-office next door to the Engl. Hof) at Lucerne (in which case the coupé may be secured), or on board the steamboats: from Lucerne to Brienz 10 fr. 50 c., coupé 12 fr.; to Interlaken 12 fr. 50 c., coupé 14 fr.; from Alpnach-Gestad to Brienz 9 * 10 c., coupé 10 fr. 60 c.; 40 Ibs. Luggage free. — Seats are assigned to the diligence passengers in the order in which their tickets have been issued. Late comers, who have failed to secure the coupé, will therefore be more likely to obtain a seat in one of the open supplementary carriages if they delay taking their tickets until shortly before the time of starting. Those who are first on the conductor's list are invariably consigned to the ‘intérieur, from which little or no view is obtained.
Carriages. With two horses, from Lucerne to Brienz or Meiringen 45-50, to Interlaken 60 fr. From Stansstad to Sacheln one-horse 8, two-horse 15 fr.; to Lungern 15 or 25 fr. From Alpnach-Gestad to Lungern one-horse 12, two-horse 20 fr.; to Brienz one-horse 25, two-horse 40 fr.; the latter, for 4-5 persons, pleasanter and not dearer than the diligence.
From ALPNACH-GESTAD To VITZNAU (for the Rigi) through-tickets are issued, costing 1 fr. less than if the traveller books to Lucerne and thence to Vitznau.
The Road from Lucerne To ALPNACH-GESTAD leads first along the impetuous Kriensbach, then by Horw (1673’), with its picturesquely situated church, to Winkel (*Stern, unpretending), a village on a bay of the Lake of Lucerne, described below, and along its bank to Hergiswyl (see below). The road now skirts the base of the Lopper (see below) close by the lake, and at the Acherbrücke (see below) reaches the Lake of Alpnach, on the N.W. bank of which it leads to Alpnach-Gestad (see below).
Beyond the central point of the lake (see p. 55), the steamer passes the pretty country-seat of Tribschen, the château of Stutz (now a pension) on an eminence, and the St. Niklauscapelle on a promontory, and enters the bay of Stansstad. At the foot of the steep Bürgenstock, to the left, lies the little village of Kehrsiten, high above which stands the new Kurhaus (see below). To the right the promontory of Spissenegg extends far into the lake, forming a bay on the W. side which extends to the N. to Winkel. The steamer steers to the S.W. to Hergiswyl (*Rössli, unpretending, R. 1, B. 1, D. 2 fr.; ascent of Pilatus, see p. 75), and then to the E. to Stansstad (1444’; Hôtel Winkelried, pension 6 fr.; *Freienhof; Rössli; Schlüssel). Stad, or Gestade, signifies a landing-place or harbour; Stansstad is therefore the ‘harbour of Stans’. The square pinnacled tower called the Schnitz-Thurm was erected by the Swiss in 1308 for defence against the Austrians, from whose yoke they had emancipated themselves.
The Bürgenstock (3721') may be ascended from Stans, Buochs , or Kehrsiten, but most easily from Stansstad. The new carriage-road (one-horse carr. 6, two-horse 12 fr.) diverges from the Stans road, after 1/4 M., to the left (finger-post), and ascends in windings on the wooded slopes of the Bürgenstock. It then enters the valley of Obbürgen (leaving the chapel to the left, past which runs a short-cut) and reaches (3 1/2 M.) the *Hôtel Bürgenstock (R. from 3, B.1 1/2, D. 4 fr.), situated on the Tritt (2854'), the W. spur of the mountain, a favourite summer resort, with extensive grounds, and commanding a beautiful view of the lake and of the Alps (Glärnisch, mountains of Unterwalden, Wetterhorn, and Jung-frau) in the opposite direction. — A good new path leads from the hotel to the (3/4 hr.) Hammetschwand (3721'), the summit of the Bürgenstock, from which we obtain a striking view of the lake of Lucerne, lying almost immediately at our feet, the Rigi, etc.
The Lopper, the E. spur of Pilatus, which extends far into the lake, is skirted by the above-described road from Lucerne to Alpnach. The brook opposite, which falls into the lake at Stansstad, has considerably narrowed the channel between the Lake of Lucerne and the Lake of Alpnach with its alluvial deposits, and the strait is now crossed by an embankment and a bridge (Acherbrücke), which is raised to admit of the passage of the steamboat (on the right the Inn ‘Zur Acherbrücke’). Within the Bay of Alpnach rises the Rozberg (2214'; Roz, Ross, akin to Roche, rock), separated from the Plattiberg by the Rozloch, a narrow ravine, in which the Mehlbach forms several waterfalls and turns the water-wheels of a paper manufactory. The *Hôtel and Pension Blättler (R. 1 1/2, B. 1, pens. 5 tr.) is situated here on the lake, amidst gardens and orchards. On the slope of the Rozberg, 1/4 hr. to the E., is the *Pension Kenel-Christen.
WALK FROM STANSSTAD TO SACHSELN. The path skirts the lake for a short distance, and then enters the Rozloch. At Allweg (2 M. from Stansstad), where there is a chapel in memory of Winkelried (pp. 16, 81) and an *Inn, our route joins the Stans and Sarnen Road (no diligence), which passes the W. base of the Stanserhorn (p. 81), and leads by Rohren to (2 1/4 M.) St. Jacob, a village with an old church (where the Mehlbach is crossed), and through the Kernwald to (3 M.) Kerns (*Krone; Hirsch; Rössli), a pleasant village with a handsome church, and to (2 1/4 M.) Sarnen. The direct road from Kerns to Sachseln does not pass through Sarnen, but crosses the entrance of the Melchthal (see p. 79), and is 1 1/2 M. shorter.
11 ¼ M. Alpnach-Gestad (*Hôtel Pilate or Post, on the lake, R. 2, B. 1 fr.; Stern; Rössli) is the harbour for the village of (1 1/2 M.) Alpnach (1529’; Schüssel; Sonne). The church of Alpnach with its slender spire was erected with the proceeds of the sale of timber from the forests of Pilatus, which were rendered accessible by a wooden slide, 8 M. long, and were cut down in 1811-19. — Ascent of Pilatus, see p. 76.
The road to Sarnen follows the left bank of the Aa, which descends from the lake of Sarnen to that of Alpnach, and near Alpnach, Kägiswyl, and Sarnen crosses its affluents by means of covered wooden bridges.
15 3/4 M. Sarnen (1630’; Obwaldner Hof; Sarner Hof; Adler, R. 1 1/2, B, 1 1/2 fr.; Schlüssel; Post; Pension Niederberger on the ‘Boll’, 1/4 hr. to the E.), with 3720 inhab. (81 Prot.), the capital of Obwalden, the W. part of the canton of Unterwalden, and the seat of government, lies at the confluence of the Melch-Au and the Sarner-Aa, and possesses a nunnery and Capuchin monastery. The Town Hall contains portraits of all the magistrates of Obwalden from the year 1381 to 1824, and one of St. Nikolaus von der Flüe (see below), and a relief map of Unterwalden and Hasli. The church, on a hill, the cantonal hospital and the large poor-house at the S. end of the town, and the arsenal on the Landenberg (1667’) are conspicuous objects; fine view of the Sarnen and Melch valleys from the latter. The peasant women of Unterwalden interlace the plaits of their hair with white ribbon, fastening it up with a peculiar spoon-shaped silver buckle.
At the head of the Schlieren-Thal, 3 1/2 hrs. W. of Sarnen, lies the sequestered *SCHWENDI-KALTBAD (4737), with a chalybeate spring, and whey-cure. A road ascends the slope of the Schwendiberg, to the W. of Sarnen, as far as (3/4 hr.) Stalden, situated high above the lake of Sarnen, whence a good path, partly through wood, leads to Schwendi.
To the E. of Sarnen opens the Melchthal, a romantic valley, 15 M. in length, studded with numerous chalets, and enclosed by lofty mountains. At the upper end is the Melchsee (6427’), whose waters are lost in a cleft of the rock, and 3 M. below re-appear as the Melch-Aa. A good road leads by St. Niklausen (see below) to the (7 1/2 M.) village of Melchthal (2933'; good accommodation at the curé’s) and the (2 M.) Balmmatt (3150) at the foot of the precipitous Ramisfluh; thence to the Melchsee (see below) by a bridle- -path in 2 ½ hrs. From the village of Melchthal, there are several mountain-passes to Engelberg (p. 82): one over the Juchli (7119’) in 5-6 hrs.; Another less interesting, over the Storregg (5709’) in 4 1/2 hrs. From the Juchli the Nünalphorn (Juchlistock , 7831'), commanding a fine view of the Titlis and the Bernese Alps, may be ascended in 1 hr. The view is still more extensive from the Hutstock (8789’), reached by active climbers from the Juchli in 2 hrs. — From the Melchsee (Hôtel-Pens. Frutt, unpretending) an easy pass crosses the Tannenalp (6818') in 1 3/4 hr. to the Engstlen-Alp (S. 134); another, more laborious, leads over the Laubergrat (8068’) to (4 1/2 hrs.) Meiringen (p. (20).
At the entrance of the valley stands St. Niklausen (2752’), or St. Klaus, the first Christian church erected in this district. The ancient tower adjoining it is called by the natives Heidenthurm (Heathens Tower). Nearly opposite, 3 M. from Sarnen, is the Ranft (brow of the mountain), formerly a barren wilderness, with the hermitage of St. Nikolaus ron der Flüe, part of the woodwork of which, and of the stone which served him for a pillow, have been carried away by relic-hunters. The saint derived his name from the ‘Flüe’, or rock, near which he lived. In his fiftieth year he is said to have left his family of ten children, retired from public life, and for the first 20 years of his seclusion to have subsisted solely on the sacramental elements, of which he partook monthly. After the successtul termination of the war against Charles the Bold of Burgundy in 1482, the Federal deputies assembled at Stans could not agree about the division of the spoil, but through the intervention of the venerable hermit the dispute was soon amicably settled. After his death (1487) he was canonised. His memory is still revered by the people, and there is scarcely a hut in the Forest Cantons of Unterwalden that does not possess a portrait of Brother Klaus. .
The Lake of Sarnen (1552’), 4 M. long, 3/4-1 M. broad, is well stocked with fish. Pedestrians save 1/2 hr. by rowing to the other end of the lake (2fr.). The Valley of Sarnen, although pleasing and picturesque, has no pretension to Alpine grandeur.
At Sachseln (1598’; *Kreus; Engel; Rössli), a village on the E. bank of the lake, 1 1/2 M. from Sarnen, is a large church, erected in 1663, containing the bones of St. Nikolaus and other relics,
The village. of (4 M.) Giswyl (1801’; Krône, unpretending), situated between the lakes of Sarnen and Lungern, was partly destroyed in 1629 by inundations of the Lauibach. A lake was thus formed, and 130 years later was drained into the lake of Sarnen. Fine view from the churchyard. On the slope to the left are the ruins of a château of the von Rudenz family.
The Brienzer Rothhorn (p. 130) may be ascended from Giswy] in 6 hrs. ; path for the first 3 hrs. good, afterwards steep and disagreeable.
The road now ascends the Kaiserstuhl (2306'), and at (2 1/4 M.) Bürglen reaches the Lake of Lungern (2162’). The three peaks of the Wetterhorn become visible to the S. ‘The road skirts the E. bank of the lake (1 1/2 M.), at a considerable height above it, and next reaches (1 1/2 M.) the large village of —
26 1/2 M. Lungern (2293’; Löwe, or Post, D. 4 fr.; Hôtel Brünig), entirely built of wood, situated in a basin at the foot of the Brünig and near the S. end of the lake, one-half of which was drained into the Sarner See in 1836. The Dundelsbach forms a picturesque fall on the W. side.
The new post-road over the Brünig ascends to the left in long windings through wood, affording occasional views, enters Canton Bern, and reaches (3 ½ M.) the summit of the Brünig Pass (3396’), beyond which is the Hôtel Brünigkulm.
Fine prospect from the Wyler Alp (4856'), 1 1/2 hr. N.W. of the Brünig; more extensive view from the Wylerhorn (6581'), 3 rs. from the pass.
The road to (4 1/2 M.) Meiringen diverges to the left about 3/4 M. beyond the summit of the pass, leading through the hamlet of Brünigen. (A path, descending to the left near the inn, cuts off the angle formed by the roads.) The pleasant road to Brienz(6 1/2 M.) winds down the hill, occasionally under overhanging rocks. Opposite to us the Engelhörner (p. 128) become visible. To the left we overlook the valley of Meiringen as far as the Kirchet (p. 137), and Meiringen itself; at the foot of the mountain-range to the S., the lower fall of the Reichenbach (p. 129) is visible; opposite is the fall of the Oltschibach (p. 130); below us the river Aare, and to the right a portion of the lake of Brienz. The road, the windings of which may be avoided by short-cuts, descends by Brienswyler (Bär), a village situated among pastures and orchards, to the Bridge of Brienzwyler over the Aare (1890'), where it unites with the high road from Meiringen to Brienz. From this point to —
36 1/2 M. Brienz, see p. 130