Hotel Giessbach, Lake of Brienz

Hotel Giessbach
Conrad von Rappard suffered from a bad chronic eye condition because of his work with the microscope. He hoped for some relief from the green of the woods around the Lake of Brienz and went for a cure to the «Hotel Giessbach», a chalet built by Johann Kehrli. In 1855 he bought the property and had a boarding house built, still used to this day as an annexe to the Grandhotel Giessbach. The Giessbach Falls became a major tourist attraction through their spectacular Bengal lights, created by the Bernese pyrotechnician Prof. Hamberger. This attraction was mentioned in all guide-books and did not fail to draw tourists from all over the world to the Bernese Oberland, the Lake of Brienz and the Hotel Giessbach. Among those visiting was the famous John Ruskin, author, art critic and social reformer, while he was in the area in 1866, to rest and to study plants.

1873/74 the Grandhotel Giessbach was erected after the plans of Edouard Davinet in the contemporary style of the founding years of the modern German Empire. In 1979 the hotel closed down. The wellknown conservationist Franz Weber successfully fought its demolition. He founded «Giessbach for the Swiss people»; this foundation purchased the property, which then was put under protection as a monument to 19th century architecture. Now the Grandhotel Giessbach is a much sought after holiday destination for tourists from all over the world.

The Kunstmuseum Bern permanently exhibits works by Clara von Rappard in the main hall of the hotel, among others the famous «Jungfrau in Mist» and the self-portrait.

Steamers on the Lake
At the time when Conrad von Rappard acquired Hotel Giessbach he had an engineer construct a steamer with a propeller. Soon there was disagreement with the steamer company and trouble with an unservicable boat. He then sold Hotel Giessbach in 1858 to the company.

History of Matten

Geological Situation
During the last Ice Age the Aare Glacier reached far out into the lower Swiss Plateau. After the glacier retreated, there was one long lake extending from today’s Meiringen to Thun, called Wendelsee. The Lombach from North and the Lütschine River from South deposited their sediments into the lake. Eventually the two deltas met in the middle of the lake, forming a plane, called Bödeli, between the Lake of Brienz and the Lake of Thun.

Stone Age
Traces of early settlements on the Bödeli: Stone-ax with a drilled hole, found in 1936, 200 m above the Weissenau ruin.

Bronze Age
Bronze sword, found in 1907 at the foot of Heimwehfluh.

6th-7th c. A.D.
Today’s Matten was first settled by Alemans during the early M. A., evidenced by four stone-chamber graves on the Moosbühl in Matten and five other graves on the hill behind the Unspunnen ruin. In the graves there were short swords, shields, flintstones, fibulas, glass-beads and earrings. The first written document: Fredegar-Chronicle, 7th. c., also mentioning laco Dunise (Lake of Thun) and Arola (Aare).

1133
The name of Interlacus Madon is mentioned for the first time in a document from the chancellery of the German emperor Lothair III. in Basel, whereby he became the patron of the church consecrated to the Holy Virgin Mary, located between the lakes in the diocese of Lausanne, county of Burgundy, at a place commonly called Matten.

1528
The Bern councillors introduced the reformation and freed the Matten serfs from the regime of the convent.

1805
First Federal Alpine Festival at Unspuunen on the Wengelacher.

1825
Erection of the first schoolhouse, the Brunnenhaus. A second pub «Sternen» was established in the centre of the village. It was owned until its closing down in 1987 by the Zwahlen family. Thanks to its beautiful hall it constituted an important cultural and political centre of community life.

1831
The new cantonal constitution led to the foundation of the modern commune, putting an end to the old order.

1838
The separation of Aarmühle (now Interlaken) from Matten is decreed by the Bernese government. At the assembly in the Matten inn the farmer-oriented, larger and economically more powerful section of the village Matten outvoted Aarmühle with its many not enfranchised smallholders, which annoyed the citizens of Aarnühle and in the end led to the separation.

1863
Conrad von Rappard changed the «Jungfrau-Blick» Pension (from 1839) into the first Grandhotel in Matten. This hotel Jungfraublick (today hotel-school Regina), together with the pump room and the ring-way on Rugen, became the centre for whey-cures that were much liked in the 19th c.

1866
Founding of the brewery Rugen.

1869
Installation of the first water reservoir on Rugen, used mainly by the hotels for the increasing numbers of tourists.

1869/70
A new pension was the beginning of a second grandhotel in Matten, the Mattenhof, founded by Christian Roth. During WW II it was requisitioned as a military hospital, frequently visited by General Guisan.

1907
Opening of the big schoolhouse in the Moos, not only with classrooms, but also containing a watch-shop (grinding special parts) and later on rooms for local administration.

1909
Construction of water mains for the village foutains, still fed by a community owned well in Wilderswil.

1912
The Amateur Drama Society of Interlaken produced Wilhelm Tell by Friedrich SCHILLER at the open-air theatre on Rugen, triggered by presentations of students, directed by headmaster August Flückiger.

1945 onwards
The increase in tourism led to the growing together of Matten and Interlaken.

1999
Opening of the school complex Chabismoos.

2005
High waters flooded parts of the town of Matten.

2006
2nd centenary of the Unspunnen Festival

2008
875 years of Matten and opening of the Rappard memorial ring-way.