Stechelberg is a small village in Switzerland located at the base of the

Schwarzmönch The Schwarzmönch (German for "black monk") (2,649 m) is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland. It forms a huge buttress on the north-west side of the Jungfrau The Jungfrau ( "maiden, virgin"), at is ...

mountain in the

Bernese Alps , topo_map= Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo , photo=BerneseAlps.jpg , photo_caption=The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau , country= Switzerland , subdivision1_type=Cantons , subdivision1= , parent= Western Alps , borders_on= , l ...

, part of the district of

Lauterbrunnen , neighboring_municipalities= Aeschi bei Spiez, Blatten (Lötschen) (VS), Fieschertal (VS), Grindelwald, Gündlischwand, Kandersteg, Lütschental, Reichenbach im Kandertal, Saxeten, Wilderswil , twintowns = } Lauterbrunnen is a village and M ...

History

The name "Stächelbärg" is first recorded in 1749 to describe this part of the valley. The area was associated with iron ore mining, which led to widespread deforestation. Since then,

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debate ...

programmes have largely restored the area around the village, which has been declared a protected natural area (''

Naturschutzgebiet A ''Naturschutzgebiet'' (abbreviated NSG) is a category of protected area (nature reserve) within Germany's Federal Nature Conservation Act (the ''Bundesnaturschutzgesetz'' or ''BNatSchG''). Although often translated as 'Nature Reserve' in Engli ...

'') The village is connected by the Luftseilbahn Stechelberg-Mürren-Schilthorn (LSMS), an

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

constructed in 1965, to other amenities and locations in the area. In February 2003, two avalanches struck the village, but did not cause significant damage. As of 2009, Stechelberg has 255 inhabitants.

Transport

Stechelberg is accessed by Lauterbrunnen from the terminal train station, or by a small road that leads up the valley from Lauterbrunnen. The only other way to reach the village is by hiking over difficult terrain.

External links

*http://www.stechelberg.ch Stechelberg Vista

{{authority control Villages in the canton of Bern Bernese Oberland