Kandersteg

Kandersteg
Kandersteg from the Kander river
Country Switzerland Canton Bern District Frutigen-Niedersimmental 46°30′N 7°40′E
Population	1,231 (Dec 2010)
- Density	9 /km2 (24 /sq mi)
Area	134.56 km2 (51.95 sq mi)
Elevation	1,174 m (3,852 ft)
- Highest	3698 m - Balmhorn
- Lowest	1150 m - Bühl
Postal code	3718
SFOS number	0565
Surrounded by	Adelboden, Blatten (Lötschen) (VS), Ferden (VS), Frutigen, Kandergrund, Kippel (VS), Lauterbrunnen, Leukerbad (VS), Reichenbach im Kandertal, Wiler (Lötschen) (VS)
Website	www.kandersteg.ch SFSO statistics
Kandersteg
Map of Kandersteg

Kandersteg is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located along the valley of the River Kander, west of the Jungfrau massif. It is noted for its spectacular mountain scenery and sylvan alpine landscapes. Tourism is a very significant part of its economic life today. It is a year round outdoors mecca for hiking trails and mountain climbing as well as downhill and cross-country skiing.

History

It has been known since Roman times. In the 1860s it began to be developed as a tourist haven. Until 1909 Kandersteg was politically and religiously part of Kandergrund.

Geography

Gastern valley

Kandersteg is located on the northern side of the Bernese Alps at an altitude of 1200 metres above sea level at the foot of the Lötschen and Gemmi Passes. The village, consisting of 1200 inhabitants, lies in the upper Kander Valley. The municipality extends on a territory encompassing the valleys of Gastern (upper Kander Valley) and Oeschinen. It includes the villages of Kandersteg and Gastern.

Kandersteg is surrounded by high mountains. The Balmhorn (3,698 metres), bordering the canton of Valais on the south, is the highest in the valley; it is followed by the Blüemlisalp (3,663 metres), east of the village. The Gross Lohner (3,049 metres) is the highest summit between the Kander Valley and the valley of Adelboden on the west. The Hohtürli pass (2,778 metres) on the east connects Kandersteg to Griesalp in the Kiental valley.

The largest lake in the valley is lake Oeschinen. It is located at 1,578 metres east of Kandersteg, at the foot of the Blüemlisalp massif. The Gastern Valley is an almost closed off valley. At the upper end of the valley lies the Kander Glacier, the source of the 44 km (27 mi) long Kander river. The Gastern Valley is on the way to the 2,700 metres high Lötschen Pass.

Part of the municipality is located within the Jungrau-Aletsch area, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and extended in 2007. The area comprises Lake Oeschinen and the Gastern Valley.

Area

Kandersteg has an area, as of 2009, of 134.56 km² (51.95 sq mi). Of this area, 17.84 km² (6.89 sq mi) or 13.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 15.86 km² (6.12 sq mi) or 11.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.33 km² (0.51 sq mi) or 1.0% is settled (buildings or roads), 2.5 km² (0.97 sq mi) or 1.9% is either rivers or lakes and 96.96 km² (37.44 sq mi) or 72.1% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 0.4% and transportation infrastructure made up 0.4%. 8.8% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.3% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 1.2% is pastures and 12.0% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 10.4% is unproductive vegetation, 43.1% is too rocky for vegetation and 18.6% of the land is covered by glaciers.

Demographics

Kandersteg has a population (as of 31 December 2010) of 1,231. As of 2007, 17.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 6.3%. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks German (89.9%), with Portuguese being second most common ( 2.8%) and English being third ( 1.1%).

Traditional house in Kandersteg

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 45.7% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SPS (16.7%), the FDP (16.6%) and the Green Party (7.4%).

The age distribution of the population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 21.8% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 17.7%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Kandersteg about 75% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or a Fachhochschule).

Kandersteg has an unemployment rate of 3.02%. As of 2005, there were 45 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 17 businesses involved in this sector. 86 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 16 businesses in this sector. 543 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 82 businesses in this sector. The historical population is given in the following table:

year	population
1910	3,554
1920	727
1950	913
2000	1,134

Tourism

Lake Oeschinen

A broad spectrum of accommodation characterises the village: from 5-star hotel to holiday apartments and camping sites. The International Scout Centre is located at the edge of the village. More than 11,000 scouts from all over the world visit each year. Several mountain huts belonging to the Swiss Alpine Club are located in the valley.

Via ferrata near Allmenalp

The Kander Valley boasts an extensive network of hiking trail from the valley floor to the mountaintops and passes. The most famous routes lead to the canton of Valais, across the Gemmi Pass straight to Leukerbad (with cable cars operating at each end) or through the wild Gastern valley across the higher Lötschen Pass to the Lötschental.

Lake Oeschinen is considered to be one of the most attractive in Switzerland and can be accessed by the cablecar Kandersteg-Oeschinen, which replaced the chairlift that operated until September 7, 2008. Other cable cars serve the areas of Sunnbüel and Allmenalp.

In winter over 50 kilometres of cross-country skiing tracked trails (classic and skating) are available in the valley floor and higher. Small ski areas (downhill) are located near Lake Oeschinen and Sunnbüel. A winter trail network connects the village to Blausee and to the Gemmi Pass. Other winter activities include skating, curling, ice climbing and ice fishing.

Near Kandersteg is located the Ricola Alpine garden. Other attractions in the village include a 16th century parish church.

Transport

BLS car shuttle train at Kendersteg.

Kandersteg owes its development into a tourist destination to its good transport links at the northern end of the Lötschberg Tunnel, which is part of the Lötschberg line, a major railway line across the Alps.

The village is located at the northern portal of the tunnel, through which trains run for 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to emerge at Goppenstein in eastern Valais. Road vehicles can be carried through the tunnel to Goppenstein by open sided car shuttle trains.

Since 2007, the new Lötschberg Base Tunnel has connected Frutigen with Raron. As a result, the old Lötschberg line is used much less intensively. Nowadays, hourly regional express trains operate between Bern and Brig via Spiez, and freight trains continue to run on the mountain railway.

See also

• Kandersteg International Scout Centre

External links

• Village of Kandersteg
• Media related to Kandersteg at Wikimedia Commons
• Scout Centre
• This website gives some suggested hikes from Kandersteg

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