The Brünig Pass, at an altitude of , connects the

Bernese Oberland The Bernese Oberland (; ; ), sometimes also known as the Bernese Highlands, is the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern. It is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context it is referred to as ''Oberland'' witho ...

and central Switzerland, linking Meiringen in the

canton of Bern The canton of Bern, or Berne (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the c ...

and Lungern in the

canton of Obwalden Canton of Obwalden or Obwald ( ; ; ; ) is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of seven municipalities and the seat of the government and parliament is in Sarnen. It is traditio ...

. It is on the watershed between the upper reaches of the

Aare The Aare () or Aar () is the main tributary of the High Rhine (its discharge even exceeds that of the latter at their confluence) and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland. Its total length from its source to i ...

, which flows through

Lake Brienz Lake Brienz () is a lake just north of the Alps, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It has a length of about , a width of and a maximum depth of . Its area is ; the surface is above the sea-level. It is fed, among others, by the upper reaches ...

and Lake Thun, and the Sarner Aa, which flows into

Lake Lucerne Lake Lucerne (, literally 'Lake of the four Waldstätte, forested settlements' (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), , ) is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. Geography The lake has a compli ...

. The pass is crossed by the Zentralbahn's Brünig railway line, between

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

and Interlaken, and that line's Brünig-Hasliberg station is situated in the pass. The pass is also crossed by the A8 motorway, between Lucerne and

Spiez Spiez is a town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality on the shore of Lake Thun in the Bernese Oberland region of the Switzerland, Swiss canton of Bern. It is part of the Frutigen-Niedersimmental (administrative district), Frutigen-Nied ...

. Both rail and road crossings are normally kept open throughout the winter. The Brünig Pass provides access to nearby attractions, including the Giessbach Waterfalls, cascading over 500 metres into the lake. The nearby Aare Gorge offers a walkway through towering limestone cliffs, while the Susten Pass provides scenic alpine views in summer. Further afield, the Lauterbrunnen Valley, with its 72 waterfalls, showcases the natural beauty of the region. The pass is the starting or finishing point of many hikes. Particularly popular is the route to or from the

Brienzer Rothorn The Brienzer Rothorn is a mountain of the Emmental Alps, in Switzerland. With an elevation of above sea level, the Brienzer Rothorn is the highest summit of the range. To its west lies the Tannhorn, whilst to its east are Arnihaaggen, Höch G ...

, which is accessible by rail at both ends. The pass was on a general transport route with the southern Grimsel and Gries passes connecting

central Switzerland Central Switzerland is the region of the Alpine Foothills geographically the heart and historically the origin of Switzerland, with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Lucerne and Zug. Central Switzerland is one of the NUTS 2 s ...

with present-day Italian

Domodossola Domodossola (; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy. It was also known as Oscela, Oscella, Oscella dei Leponzi, Ossolo, Ossola Lepontiorum, and Domo d'Ossola (due to it ...

. It is assumed the route was in use since

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingd ...

, when the Romans controlled Vindonissa. In 1339 the warriors of central Switzerland marched towards the Battle of Laupen over the Brünig pass. In 1383, warriors of Lucerne,

Schwyz Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''. The of ...

and Uri among others crossed over the Brünig pass to support the Bernse troops in the siege of Burgdorf. In 1856 the Federal funds led to the construction of a street over the pass. In 1861 the road was completed and inaugurated. In the 19th century and before the inauguration of the Brünig railway, up to 120 private carriages and post wagons shall have crossed the pass. The pass is the subject of a watercolour painting by J. M. W. Turner, entitled '' The Brunig Pass, from Meiringen'', and dating from c.1847-8.

References

External links

*
Weather report for the Brünig Pass
Mountain passes of Switzerland Mountain passes of Obwalden Bernese Oberland Mountain passes of the canton of Bern Bern–Obwalden border Rail mountain passes of Switzerland {{Obwalden-geo-stub

See also

References

External links