The enchantingly beautiful castle on Lake Thun was built in the 12th century as a fortified castle for the von Oberhofen family. Oberhofen Castle was a fief of the Habsburgs who had to surrender to the Confederates after the lost battle of Sempach in 1386. After the victory, the castle belonged to Bern. Between 1652 and 1798 the castle was expanded into a palace and country residence. Oberhofen Castle was sold in 1801 and came into private ownership. In 1952 the castle was given to the Bern Historical Museum and is now a residential museum.

Oberhofen am Thunersee

www.schlossoberhofen.ch

With around 45,000 inhabitants, Thun is the largest city in the Bernese Oberland. The city of Thun was already settled in Roman times and excavations show even older traces of settlement. Thun is where the Aare leaves Lake Thun in the direction of Bern. The pretty town is at an altitude of 560 m and has a number of sights to offer, such as the castle, the town hall and the town church. From Thun you can easily discover the whole of the Bernese Oberland.  

Thun

Lake Thun (Thunersee) is approx. 17.5 km long and has an area of approx. 48 square kilometers. The lake is at an altitude of 558 m. The shipping company operates the route between Thun and Interlaken, with stops on both banks. The town of Interlaken is situated between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Ships also operate between Brienz and Böningen near Interlaken on Lake Brienz.

Thunersee

www.bls.ch/d/schifffahrt/schifffahrt.php

Typical of the Bernese Oberland are the wooden houses with a steep saddle roof and large roof overhang. The façade consists of wooden shingles, which have been laid one above the other like a shed. Warehouses are often built on stilts with a round stone disc, so no rodents can penetrate.

Berner Oberland

The Bernese Oberland is Switzerland like in a picture book. Snow-covered peaks and deep blue lakes make the "Berner Oberland" one of the most beautiful landscapes in Switzerland. The mountains of the Bernese Oberland stretch between Lenk and Grindelwald. The highest mountain in the Bernese Oberland is the 4,274 m high Finsteraarhorn, the best known is the Jungfrau, a 4,158 m high mountain range near the famous ski resort of Wengen. The Eiger north face is world famous among mountaineers. The ascent to the Eiger over the north face is one of the most demanding climbing tours in the Alps.

Wengen

http://wengen.ch