LAUTERBRUNNEN

The municipality of Lauterbrunnen comprises the villages of Gimmelwald, Isenfluh, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Stechelberg and Wengen. This whole area is highly valued as an attractive and varied vacation resort. The valley is rich in natural beauty. The name is due to the numerous waterfalls or the louder water that the streams and springs carry.

In the 13th century, Lauterbrunnen and its surroundings belonged to the lordship of Rothenfluh- Unspunnen, which was then held by the lords of Wädiswil. Around 1300, the mountain district passed by marriage partly to the von Turn-Gestelen family and partly to the Weissburgs, who established a base of power in the eastern Oberland at Weissenau Castle.

Johann von Turn settled serfs in the part of the valley that fell to him. In 1334, the Weissenburg portion passed to Interlaken Abbey in connection with the large land donation. In 1346, Peter von Turn sold his judicial rights in the valley to the monks, and in 1395 Anton von Turn ceded the rest of the family property in the Lütschine area to them.