UNESCO World Heritage Trails of Kandersteg

Most of the mountains surrounding Kandersteg consist of sedimentary rock formed in the primordial Tethys Ocean.
Based on the fossils found within, geologists have shown that the region around Lake Oeschinen essentially consists of three so-called nappes: the Wildhorn nappe, the Gellihorn nappe, and the Doldenhorn nappe.

During the last Ice Age, the Kander Valley was deeply carved by glaciers and enclosed by steep rock walls, similar to today’s Lauterbrunnen Valley. When the glaciers retreated, enormous rockfalls drastically altered the landscape. The largest of these occurred at the Fisistöcke, where the slip surface is still clearly visible.

As early as Roman times, the Lötschen Pass was an important trade route for livestock and spices. In 1352, a wooden cross was recorded for the first time on the pass summit, and in 1374 Kandersteg was mentioned as an overnight stop along the spice trade route. Until the 19th century, most strangers in the region were travellers passing through, merchants, or the sick.

In 2018, a movement of some 20 million cubic metres of rock was recorded at the “Spitze Stei” – about three times the excavation volume of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel. Since then, the area has been intensively monitored. GPS measurement stations record movements in the area around the clock.

The wish for a chapel in Kandersteg was fulfilled in 1510. It was built at this site, on the old mule track where the bridge crossed the Kander. In 1909, the Lötschberg railway construction led to Kandersteg’s political independence, and it was decided to enlarge the chapel with a tower and annex.

The heavily glaciated Blüemlisalp Massif both separates and links the communes of Kandersteg and Reichenbach. At over 3,600 metres, with the Blüemlisalphorn, Wyssi Frau and Morgenhorn, it dominates the Bernese Oberland. The traverse of its ridge is considered one of the most beautiful snow routes in the Alps.

Crossing mountains once required much time and carried many risks. Easier and faster was to go through them: since the late 19th century, the technical means have been available.

Das einzigartige Wassersystem von Kandersteg wird aus fast allen Himmelsrichtungen gespiesen, vor allem durch die dreizehn Gletscher und den zahlreichen Firnfeldern. Mit dem Klimawandel und den schmelzenden Gletschern drohen die Wassermengen aber langfristig abzunehmen, dies insbesondere im Sommer.

Kandersteg has repeatedly witnessed natural hazards. The vast smooth face of the Altels was once covered in ice. Two glacier collapses, in 1792 and 1895, caused great loss of life and suffering on the Spittelmatte. Natural hazards are ongoing processes.

For a long time, no more than 200 people lived in Kandersteg, surviving on a meagre mountain farming existence. With the advent of tourism, many earned extra income as porters, muleteers or mountain guides.

The Wageti area is a wetland of great importance for biodiversity, providing ideal conditions for many amphibians. In Kandersteg, the numerous wetlands, lakes and streams result in a particularly high amphibian density. The Alpine salamander, known locally as “Rägemoli”, is found in the region.

Scouts are especially connected to Kandersteg. Lord Baden Powell, founder of the scout movement, often spent his summer holidays here, when he discovered a large vacant building that had been used as an engineering office during the construction of the Lötschberg tunnel.

The high mountain barrier separating the cantons of Bern and Valais appears almost insurmountable. To this day there are only a few points where it can be crossed. One of them is the Lötschen Pass. Access to the Gasterntal leads through the narrow Chluse gorge, a passage used since early times.