Chalets and Woodcarving in Brienz

2 August 2019

The meaning of the word “Chalet” as a characterisation of all wooden houses in Switzerland dates back to the nineteenth century and can be attributed to English tourists.

Until then, a chalet was a wooden house located high up in the alpine meadows, intended to accommodate farmers during the summer. In the nineteenth-century sense of the word, the village of Brienz on the Brienzersee has a true art treasure to offer.

The many authentic chalets and woodcarving crafts have made this place famous, as evidenced by the Woodcarving Museum (Schweizerisches Museum für Holzbildhauerei), the school for violin makers (Geigenbauschule), and numerous woodcarving workshops.

(Further information: www.brienzersee.ch).