Interlaken means between the lakes, the Brienzersee and the Thunersee. This is well known. Much less known, however, is its namesake: the monastery ‘Inter lacus’. In the 14th century, the double monastery (Doppelkloster) had a men’s and a women’s section, with 300 nuns and 40 monks.
Unterseen on the right and the Spielmatte, 18th century. Image: Gemeinde Unterseen
The and the Thunersee. Image: Gemeinde Unterseen
Interlaken lies between two lakes, and the Aare splits here before flowing into the Thunsersee again as a river. The islet of Spielmatte lies between the two branches of the Aare.
The Inter lacus Convent and Monastery
The Augustinian monastery Inter lacus was founded in 1133 by Freiherr Seliger von Oberhofen. The monastery church originally dates from the 14th century and was rebuilt in the late Gothic style in 1471. However, only the tower remains from this era. The women’s monastery was abolished in 1484, and the men’s monastery during the reformation in 1528.
Subsequently, the monastery became the seat of the government of Bern’s governor, and the complex became the governor’s castle (Schloss). The monastery church became a Schlosskirche.
This church was then used as a warehouse for a long time. However, English guests also played a role: by the end of the 19th century, it was used as an Anglican church. In 1909, the Evangelical Reformed Church of Gsteig-Interlaken took possession of the church.
The Catholic church was built in 1908. Since then, both churches have symbolised the harmony of two religions in Interlaken.
The Jungfrau (Virgin)
The nuns also gave a Swiss icon its name. The convent owned the Alpine meadows up to the mighty rocks and the then-unapproachable glaciers of a mountain without a name. At the time, these rocks and glaciers made the mountain unreachable and untouched, hence the name Jungfrau.
Everything comes to an end, and so does this status. On 3 August 1811, the first (Swiss) climbers reached the summit of the 4 185-meter mountain. Since then, the mountain has not been untouched, although Adolf Guyer-Zeller’s Jungfraubahn did not have the summit but the Jungfrauloch as its terminus, although the summit was still intended in 1894.
Unterseen
Unterseen was founded in 1279 by Freiherr Berchtold von Eschenbach-Oberhofen. Initially, it was a military base for Habsburg, but from 1337, it was a line of defence for Bern. The town developed into a significant trade and craft town and transhipment point for goods from ships and timber rafts travelling from Bern, the Haslital, over the Brünig Pass to the Waldstätte in the Innerschweiz or the Grimsel towards Italy.
The ‘Haberdarre’ was the transhipment point for goods between Lake Thuner and Lake Brienzersee. This name is derived from the drying (darre) of oats (Haber).
In the 18th and 19th centuries, famous guests stayed overnight at Unterseen’s Inns, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1782-1832) and Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, better known as Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847).
Unterseen and the monastery Inter lacus were initially the leading economic players. The monastery operated a sawmill, grain mill, and wool spinning mill, among other activities. It also owned exclusive fishing rights in the Aare. In its heyday, it was also the largest landowner in the Bernese Oberland.
The mills served for centuries, their wheels powered by the Aare’s water. The Spielmatte was an important location for these mills.
In 1938, the water wheels gave way to electrically powered mills. Hydropower plants provided the power. It wasn’t until 1996 that the mills stopped functioning. However, the hydropower plant on the Spielmatte is still functioning!
Interlaken
The 1892 shipping canal links Lake Thuner to the Westbahnhof in Interlaken, which flourished due to tourism. English tourists, in particular, found their way to Interlaken and the Jungfrau region.
Villa rosa
Grand Hotel Victoria Jungfrau
The place acquired a fashionable character, with Grand Hotels, city palaces, wide boulevards and streets, electric lighting, and bridges over the Aare.
Hotel Harder Kulm
The Goldey pedestrian bridge over the Aare has connected Unterseen with Interlaken and the Kurhaus since 1900.
The Kurhaus opened its doors on 20 July 1859 to aim for a healthy mind in a healthy body. A Molkekuranstalt provided the body, the casino the adrenaline and the Kurorkest the harmonious spirit. The Kurhaus has been Interlaken’s cultural and social centre from the beginning.
The architect Paul Bouvier (1857-1940) converted the complex into a concert, play and theatre hall in the park. Today, the Kurhaus is a world-renowned cultural and congress centre that includes the ‘Interlaken Classics’.
Indian film director Yash Chopra (1932-2012), an honorary citizen of the city, has been immortalised in the park because of the many films he shot in Interlaken.
The castle (former monastery)
The Schlosskirche
The Propstei
