Winter wonderland near Gstaad
When the poet Goethe went on holiday in the Bernese Oberland
At the time of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s second trip to Switzerland, tourism in the Bernese Oberland was beginning to gain in importance.
During his second trip to Switzerland, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stayed in Unterseen/Interlaken 240 years ago. In 1779, while travelling through the Bernese Oberland, he wrote the poem “Gesang der Geister über den Wassern” (Song of the Spirits over the Waters), inspired by the Staubbach falls in the Lauterbrunnen valley. In 1816, the poet and literary star of the time, Lord Byron, was also drawn to the region.
Goethe and Karl August
At that time, the Alpine region was considered dangerous and was only visited when necessary. With people such as the doctor and poet Albrecht von Haller or the philosopher and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, romanticised this region, it lost much of its terror. In the 18th century, young Europeans from the upper classes and aristocracy set off on their travels. The Grand Tour became a rite of passage. To complete the transition to adulthood, one had to leave home. This also brought many guests to the Bernese Oberland. This included Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who came to Unterseen/Interlaken in 1779 to see the Bernese Oberland.
Unterseen/Interlaken, the old town across the river
“We landed in Neuhaus, reached the little town of Unterseen on foot, then stopped off at the town hall and had a cheerful lunch there.” He wrote this entry on 9 October 1779, when he arrived in Unterseen by boat from Thun. From Unterseen, they travelled to Lauterbrunnen, then to Grindelwald, to reach Meiringen via the Grosse Scheidegg. In Meiringen, we took the boat across Lake Brienz back to Unterseen. This route was described in a travel guide of the time.
Ready to follow in the footsteps of the great poet yourself?
