Bönigen Village Museum – Dorfmusem
Dorfmuseum, Interlakenstrasse 2, 3806 Bönigen b. InterlakenDorfmusem – Historical and cultural attractions in Interlaken The delightful historic village of ‘Bönigen’ at the lower shore of Lake ‘Brienz’ features a complex of wooden houses & chalets dated back to the 16th Century. The village still preserves its rural personality by keeping alive the traditions of the region. In the summer, the magnificent […]
Dorfmusem – Historical and cultural attractions in Interlaken
The delightful historic village of ‘Bönigen’ at the lower shore of Lake ‘Brienz’ features a complex of wooden houses & chalets dated back to the 16th Century. The village still preserves its rural personality by keeping alive the traditions of the region. In the summer, the magnificent village attracts tourists & visitors through its hiking marked trails extended over 500 kilometers. ‘Bönigen’ represent a national treasure through its narrow lanes paved woodcarvings.
Bönigen is first mentioned in 1261 as villa Boningen. The name Bönigen (“of the people of the Bono clan”) is composed of the Old High German personal name Bono and the toponymic suffix -ingun.
The village was originally perched on a hill above the flood level of the lake and local streams. In the 19th century, the river course was corrected and flood control measures put in place. Around 1860, these projects stabilized the lake shore and lowered the water level. These improvements allowed the village to spread down toward the streams and the lake.
Bönigen lies in the Bernese Oberland on the south-west side of Lake Brienz, near to the point where the Lütschine flows into the lake. The village centre lies in the northwest part of the municipality along the Lütschine and up to the lake. The village has grown towards the nearby resort town of Interlaken, and the built-up areas are nearly contiguous.Bönigen has an area of 15.12 km2, 16.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 57.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.2% is settled (buildings or roads), 1.1% is either rivers or lakes and 18.7% is unproductive land.
Sights & Attractions
The entire village of Bönigen is designated as part of the inventory of Swiss heritage sites. One of the chalets has been converted into a museum “Alte Pine” displaying the culture, the crafts and the simple life of ‘Bernese Oberland’ with its rustic furnished kitchen & rooms. Part of the museum is reserved as a showroom exhibiting locals’ artworks. In the village museum one can find remarkable from the past of the Böniger. Furthermore, the village museum offers an insight into a typical Bernese Oberland chalet with its rural cuisine and rooms with furnishings and utensils from the period 1730 to 1920.
- Admission: Free entry
- Opening: May to October
- Address: Dorfmuseum, Interlakenstrasse 2, 3806 Bönigen b. Interlaken
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