GuestInformation 1 Grüezi Welcome to the heart of Switzerland We are delighted to have you as our guest in Brunnen, the gateway to the heart of Switzerland. Brunnen is the place to relax, to hike or to practise whichever your favourite sport is. It is also the place to explore the history and myths of early Switzerland. We are pleased to welco- ming you and we take pride in doing our utmost to make your stay most enjoyable and memorable. Tourist Information Brunnen Tourismus Bahnhofstrasse 15 CH-6440 Brunnen Fon: +41 41 825 00 40 Fax: +41 41 825 00 49 www.brunnentourismus.ch [email protected] Opening hours OCTOBER – MAY Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 12 pm 1.30 pm – 5.30 pm JUNE / SEPTEMBER Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 6 pm Saturday 9 am – 1 pm JULY / AUGUST Monday – Friday 8.30 am – 6 pm Saturday / Sunday 9 am – 3 pm Our Tourist information centre offers different services: – Information on Brunnen and all of Central Switzerland – Advisory service for excursions, hiking and sightseeing in Central Switzerland – Organisation of guided tours (guided village tour, guided city tour Lucerne, guided tour over mountain passes etc.) – Organisation of group tours and group excursions – Sales of boat- and mountain-railway tickets 3 Portrait of Brunnen Table of contents ALTITUDE 435 m / 1300 ft. Portrait of Brunnen 4 INHABITANTS 8051 History 4 HOTELS 12 NUMBER OF BEDS 760 Culture 6 Economy 6 Places of Interest 7 Entertainment 8 Adventure 9 Excursions 10 «Swiss Path» 11 Excursions in the Region 12 Sport 12 Churches 13 Accommodation 14 Hotels 14 Holiday Appartements 14 B&B 15 Group Accommodation / Budget 15 Brunnen forms part of the municipality of Ingenbohl and has 8000 inha- bitants. It was once an important trading centre on the Lake of Lucerne. Gastronomy 15 The era of the grand hotels in the middle of the 19th century represen- Restaurants 15 ted the heyday of the town as a holiday resort. A hint of the charm of that time still lingers in the hotels that remain there today. Brunnen Bars, Pubs & Dancings 16 played an important role at the time of the founding of the Confedera- Important Information 17 tion. In 1315 the revised “Bundesbrief” (deed of federation) was signed following the Battle of Morgarten. History In medieval times, the waterside settlement of Brunnen emerged between an estuary of the Lake of Lucerne and the slope of the forest of Ingenbohl. Fishermen and boatmen inhabited the little village. With the increasing importance of the Gotthard route, Brunnen became the principal harbour for the land of Schwyz and an important loading station for cattle trade with Tessin and Italy. With the fi rst steamboats and the construction of the Axenstrasse at the end of the 19th century Brunnen began to develop into a tourist resort. Important personalities such as King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the composer Richard Wagner or the fairytale author Hans Chrisitan Andersen visi- ted the village. A row of hotel buildings of the «Belle Epoque» and the lakeside promenade are reminders of that time. 4 5 Culture Places of interest Brunnen BUNDESKAPELLE (Federal Chapel, 1632) has a valuable high-altarpiece by CULTURAL WALK Justus von Egmont (a pupil of Rubens). Constructed in remembrance There are countless buildings and objects in the community of Ingen- of the renewal of the Swiss Charter of Confederation, after the battle of bohl-Brunnen that have witnessed the origin and the development of Morgarten was won in 1315. our village. CONVENT OF INGENBOHL, main convent of the Merciful Sisters of the Holy Cross (founded 1856). The crypt with the tombstone of Mother Superior Please ask for our brochure «Cultural Walk». It provides interesting Maria Theresia Scherer is visited by many pilgrims. information and detailed descriptions on the culture and history of WYLERBRÜCKE (built 1595). The wooden bridge is 35m long and 3m wide. Brunnen. Competent guided tours on the «Cultural Walk» are being It is under protection of historical buildings and monuments. organised by Brunnen Tourismus on request. PLATZ DER AUSLANDSCHWEIZER.(Square dedicated to the Swiss living ab- road). The Swiss living abroad acquired this place thanks to donations in 1988 and it was inaugurated in 1991 just in time to celebrate the 700th Schwyz anniversary of the Confederation of Switzerland. With this square the MUSEUMS Swiss living abroad own a piece of land as a symbol for their connection In Schwyz, history is more alive than anywhere else in Switzerland. with their homeland. On the north side of the square there is a poster At the Museum of the Swiss Charters you will fi nd the historic Federal exhibition about the so called “Fifth Switzerland” (the fi rst four are the Charter, a unique document which is of considerable importance for the four language areas in Switzerland). This exhibition shows aspects of national history of Switzerland. In the Forum of Swiss History visitors life of the app. 623’000 Swiss living abroad. Because of its beautiful lo- will experience how the people between 1300 und 1800 lived in Swit- cation with the spectacular view onto the Lake of Lucerne this peninsula zerland. The Ital Reding Estate is one of the most treasured building- is a great attraction for guests from all over the world. groups of the canton of Schwyz. Please ask for the brochure of the village of Schwyz. It gives interesting information on the culture and history of Schwyz. The Tourist Informati- on Centre in Schwyz will gladly organize guided tours through the mu- seums, or the village of Schwyz. Economy Cement and mechanical engineering, electronic machinery, distillery (Kirsch), tourism, «Swiss Army Knife» factory, trade and craft. 6 7 Entertainment Adventure Brunnen PERMANENT EVENTS Paragliding Concert Sumpf Blues Band Enjoy a breathtaking experience. You will be deligh- 1st Wednesday each month 9 pm – 11 pm ted by the beautiful view over Central Switzerland. Restaurant Stauffacher Just relax and enjoy while a qualifi ed pilot takes you as his passenger. Reduction with guestcard. ANNUAL EVENTS In February. Carnival TOUCH AND GO… 041 820 54 31 3rd Sunday in July. Village fair WWW.PARAGLIDING.CH 1st August. National Day, parade with fi reworks. September. Painting event. 1st weekend of advent. Christmas market. Caving – Hell’s Hole The «Hell’s Hole» is the longest cave in Europe and WEEKLY EVENTS FROM JUNE TO SEPTEMBER one of the largest cave systems in the world. Enjoy a fantastic tour and learn about the formation of caves. FOLKLORE EVENING Reduction with guestcard. Every Monday and every 1st Thursday from 8.30 pm – 10 pm. At the Hotel Eden au Lac or at the Hotel City. TREKKING TEAM 041 390 40 40 WWW.TREKKING.CH TOURIST INFORMATION AND WELCOME DRINK Every Tuesday at 9.30 am at the Tourist Information Centre. Canoe ALPHORN BLOWING AND FLAG THROWING Discover the world of canoe and kayak, and explore Every Wednesday from 8 pm – 9 pm in the village centre. hidden bays, untouched shores and romantic islands. GUIDED VILLAGE-WALK ALONG THE CULTURAL PATH ADVENTURE POINT 079 247 74 72 Every Thursday from 9.30 am – 11 am. Meeting point at the Tourist WWW.ADVENTUREPOINT.CH Information Centre. GUIDED HIKING TOUR Animal Park Goldau Every Friday. Meeting point at the Tourist Information Centre. Informati- Beautiful park situated in the wild and romantic on and enrolment Thursday until 5 pm at Brunnen Tourismus. landslip area. The whole family will love this trip. LAKESIDE CONCERT ANIMAL PARK GOLDAU 0800 84 37 72 Every Sunday from 10.15 am – 11.45 am at the Bellevuequai. WWW.TIERPARK.CH Come to our weekly events, it’s worthwhile! All events and guided tours are free of charge. You will fi nd the detailed information on our program of the week (from mid-May until end of September) and on our concert leafl et. 8 9 Excursions «Swiss Path» The «Swiss Path» is a gift of the cantons on the occasion of the 700 Urmiberg anniversary in 1991. The hiking path starts on Rütli where in 1291 the Our local cable car takes you high above the lake! It’s Swiss Confederation was founded and then continues around the Lake the perfect place to relax and to enjoy a spectacular of Uri. On the path all 26 Swiss cantons are represented with varying view. lengths, according to the inhabitants of their canton. This means that every Swiss citizen has a stretch on the «Swiss Path» of 5 mm (total Stoos length 34.86 km). The parts of the route appear in the order in which the Stoos offers a lot: great hiking possibilities, well cantons became part of the Confederation. signed nordic-walking-routes and biking-routes, an outdoor pool (heated) or authentic alpine cottages. Day trip ticket «Swiss Path» In the winter time you will enjoy great skiing slopes. VALID FROM APRIL TO OCTOBER. This day trip ticket enables you to use the boat and the cable railway Rigi Treib-Seelisberg all day long. You can hike on the «Swiss Path» and Mt. Rigi – the real Swiss life is an unforgettable ex- whenever you feel like, you can enjoy a boat trip or a ride on the cable cursion und holiday paradise. Take either one of the railway. cogwheel railways from Vitznau or Goldau, or take the aerial cable car from Weggis for an outing rich in all kinds of variety. Come and get to know the “must see” attraction! Sattel – Hochstuckli Travel up to Hochstuckli with the world’s fi rst rotating cable car. Different attractions like toboggan run, bouncy castle and adventure trail for the kids welcome you there.