Adelboden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adelboden
Adelboden in July 2006
Coat of arms
Adelboden Location in Switzerland Show map of Switzerland Adelboden Location in Canton of Bern Show map of Canton of Bern
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Frutigen-Niedersimmental
Area
• Total	87.61 km2 (33.83 sq mi)
Elevation	1,350 m (4,430 ft)
Highest elevation (Grossstrubel)	3,242 m (10,636 ft)
Lowest elevation (Engstligen valley)	1,045 m (3,428 ft)
Population  (Dec 2020 )
• Total	3,343
• Density	38.158/km2 (98.828/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	German: Adelbodner(in)
Postal code	3715
Surrounded by	Diemtigen, Frutigen, Kandersteg, Lenk im Simmental, Leukerbad (VS), Sankt Stephan

Adelboden is a beautiful mountain village and a municipality in Switzerland. It is found in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental area of the Bernese Highlands.

Exploring Adelboden's Geography

Engstligen Falls

Aerial view of Adelboden (1934)

Adelboden is located in the western part of the Bernese Highlands. It sits at the end of the valley where the Entschlige river flows. This river later joins the Kander river in Frutigen.

Adelboden is a classic Swiss mountain village. It is built on a sunny terrace that looks south towards the amazing Engstligen waterfalls. Other small valleys like Gilbach and Boden are also part of the village.

The main part of the village, including the church and main street, is about 1,350 meters (4,429 feet) above sea level. The highest point nearby is the Grossstrubel mountain, which is 3,242 meters (10,636 feet) high. The lowest point is 1,045 meters (3,428 feet) in the Engstligen valley.

The plants and trees in the area are typical for high mountains. You'll find alpine and sub-alpine plants, with some wooded areas. The slopes and flat areas are mostly used as mountain meadows for grazing animals.

Some of the most famous mountains around Adelboden include Lohner (3,049 m or 10,003 ft), Steghorn (3,146 m or 10,322 ft), and Wildstrubel (3,243 m or 10,640 ft). You can even take a mountain railway up Tschenten (2,025 m or 6,644 ft).

Adelboden covers an area of about 88.2 square kilometers (34.1 square miles). A large part of this land, about 41.4%, is used for farming. Forests cover about 18.2% of the area. About 2.5% of the land has buildings or roads, and 1.7% is rivers or lakes. The remaining 36.2% is unproductive land, like rocky areas or glaciers.

Adelboden's Coat of Arms

The blazon (description) of Adelboden's municipal coat of arms is simple. It shows a black eagle with a red beak and claws. This eagle is standing on a green hill, all against a silver background.

A Look at Adelboden's History

Adelboden in 1900

Adelboden was first mentioned in old writings in 1409. Back then, it was called in valle Adelboden. Later, in 1453, it was also known as Adelboden alias silva.

The mountain pastures of Engstligenalp and Silleren, which belong to Adelboden, were first written about in the 1200s. The people living in the Engstligental valley were known as "forest people." By the 1400s, Adelboden had its own church. More than 50 families helped pay the minister's salary.

In the 1500s, Adelboden joined the Reformation, a big change in Christian religion. The Catholic priest at the time had to leave and went to the Catholic Canton of Fribourg.

Before the 1800s, getting to Frutigen was very hard. People had to travel along a steep path on the south side of the Engstligen Valley. This path was often impossible to use in winter. But in the late 1800s, a road was built along the Entschlige river. This made it much easier to reach Adelboden and connected the village to the outside world.

In the 1870s, a local teacher opened the first guesthouse. This guesthouse grew into a hotel, which is still owned by the same family today. Around the early 1900s, many tourists started visiting. This led to a big increase in the village's population.

Adelboden was also famous for being the destination of the very first organized winter sports holidays. These trips were put together by Sir Henry Lunn in 1903.

By the 1930s, the first cable car to Engstligenalp was built, and more cable cars followed. The Silleren area became easier to reach by buses in the 1980s.

Main Sights and Fun Events

Engstligenalp plateau in autumn.

• Engstligen Falls: The Entschlige river drops 375 meters (1,230 feet) over rocks. It's one of the most amazing waterfalls in the Bernese Highlands. A special event is the "Alpaufzug" in early summer. About 350 cows are guided up a narrow path through the cliffs to their summer pasture on the Engstligenalp.
• Engstligenalp: This is a high plateau about 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) above sea level.
• The Village Church: This church has beautiful glass artwork from the early 1900s by Augusto Giacometti.
• Our Chalet: This is a special world center and meeting place for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from all over the world.

Adelboden also hosts many exciting cultural events:

• World Cup Men's alpine ski races (January): The men's giant slalom course here is known as one of the toughest on the World Cup circuit.
• Vogellisi-Festival (July): A fun live music festival.
• Vogellisi Lauf (July): A challenging mountain running race.
• Kammermusic-festival (July): A festival for chamber music.
• Langlauf night (December 30): Cross-country ski races held right on the main street of town.

Adelboden's People

Traditional farm house, built in 1771.

Adelboden has a population of about 3,563 people (as of December 2010). Most people, about 95%, speak German as their main language. A smaller number of people also speak Serbo-Croatian or Portuguese.

In 2010, about 23.6% of the population were children and teenagers (0–19 years old). Adults (20–64 years old) made up 56.6%, and seniors (over 64 years old) were 19.8% of the population.

Here's how the population has changed over time:

Adelboden's Languages

The local language spoken in Adelboden is called Adelbodnertütsch. This is a dialect from the Bernese Oberland region. It also has some influences from the Valais dialects. It's part of a group of German dialects known as Highest Alemannic.

As of 2000, most people (95.0%) in Adelboden speak German. Serbo-Croat is the second most common language (1.0%), followed by Portuguese (0.9%).

Adelboden's Economy

Adelboden's economy is a mix of different activities. It includes farming, local businesses like wood building companies, and a mineral water source. Tourism is also a very important part of the economy.

Many people work in tourism (around 490 people) and other service jobs (about 500 people). The construction industry employs about 310 people. There are also jobs in agriculture (around 45 full-time workers) and at the mineral water source (about 45 people).

In 2011, the unemployment rate in Adelboden was quite low, at 1.29%.

Religion in Adelboden

Adelboden village church

Based on a 2000 census, most people in Adelboden belong to the Swiss Reformed Church (about 66.2%). A smaller number (6.1%) are Roman Catholic. There are also people who belong to other Christian churches, and a small number of people who are Islamic or have no religious affiliation.

Tourism and Sports in Adelboden

British visitors Lawrence and Doris Ogilvie on wooden skis in Adelboden 1938

Adelboden is a popular place for family holidays. You can find many places to stay, including 24 hotels, over 3,800 vacation homes, and several campsites. There are also about 40 restaurants.

In summer, you can explore over 200 kilometers (124 miles) of hiking trails. These range from easy walks to challenging mountain climbs. Many mountain railways can take you up to higher areas. You can also enjoy mountain biking or even fly model aircraft on Hahnenmoospass.

In winter, Adelboden is a fantastic place for skiing and snowboarding. It has ski runs for all skill levels, including the famous World Cup giant slalom run on the Chuenisbärgli. There are also 40 kilometers (25 miles) of winter hiking trails and cross-country ski trails. Snowboarders can find great freeride and freestyle areas.

Adelboden's giant slalom and slalom races are very well-known events on the World Cup circuit.

Recently, the story of a magical medicine woman named Vogellisi has become a symbol for Adelboden. You can see her image on many tourist items and activities.

Adelboden's Climate

Adelboden has a type of climate called a Marine West Coast Climate. This means it has mild, rainy summers with cool nights. The winters are long, moderately cold, and get a lot of snow. Even though sunshine is highest in summer, Adelboden can be quite cloudy throughout the year, especially in winter.

Getting Around Adelboden

Adelboden has only one main road that connects it to Frutigen. From Frutigen, you can connect to Spiez and then to the A6 highway, which leads to Bern. This means there isn't much through-traffic in Adelboden.

Frutigen has a train station on the Lötschberg line, which connects to Bern and Brig. You can easily get from Frutigen to Adelboden by taking a regular post bus.

There are also old mountain passes that connect Adelboden to other valleys. The Bunderchrinde Pass goes to Kandersteg in the east. The Hahnenmoos Pass connects to the valley of Lenk in the west. These passes don't have roads, but they were used for trade long ago. Today, they are popular hiking trails, including part of the long-distance Alpine Pass Route across Switzerland.

Education in Adelboden

In Adelboden, many people have completed their education beyond basic schooling. About 40% of the population have finished upper secondary education. About 6.6% have gone on to higher education, like university.

The school system in the Canton of Bern starts with one year of optional Kindergarten. After that, there are six years of Primary school. Then, students go to three years of lower Secondary school, where they are grouped by their abilities. After lower Secondary, students can continue their schooling or start an apprenticeship.

Adelboden has primary schools, middle schools, and a secondary school. If students need a special secondary school, the closest one is in Frutigen. For high school (Gymnasium), students usually go to Thun or Interlaken.

Adelboden also has a public library called Gemeindebibliothek Adelboden.

Famous People from Adelboden

Several notable people who were good at cross-country skiing, mountaineering, and alpine skiing were born in Adelboden:

• Rolf Zurbrügg: A Swiss national ski mountain trainer.
• Frieda Dänzer: A former Alpine skier and world champion in 1958.
• Annerösli Zryd: A world champion in Alpine skiing in 1970.
• Marlies Oester: A former alpine skier who competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The Italian/British writer Rafael Sabatini also died in Adelboden and is buried there.

See also

In Spanish: Adelboden para niños