In the early 1970’s the Baehler and Wyss genealogies were researched by Walther Wyss of Kenilworth, IL. Later, in 1975, Hilda Baehler Hess made a visit with input from Walther (Larsen Family). Hilda is shown in this photo at the homeplace of Christian and Anna Maria (Waysen) Wyss, the birthplace of Anna Wyss Baehler, in Thierachern.
In November 2010 I travelled to Switzerland to visit the places my Baehler and Wyss families lived. Coming down from the Lake Constance area of SW Germany and passing by Zurich and Lucerne we entered the Bernese Alps dominated by the Eiger, the Jungfrau, and the Mönch.
Interlaken
Staying in Interlaken made car travel convenient as all the municipalities are in easy distance from one another. Interlaken is located on a plain between two lakes. The small municipalities our ancestors lived in were also on the plain with the exception of Isenfluh.
Fortunately extensive research of records for the Wyss and Baehler families had been done prior to 1974 in Interlaken and Uetendorf, with records traced back to 1692. So the journey was more an opportunity to get a feeling for the homeland our families left in order to make their way to a new and different world.
Gsteigwiler
Gsteigwiler is just to the south of Interlaken on the road to Isenfluh. Wikipedia describes this interesting name origin:
The original name of the town was “Wiler,” which goes back to the Old High German wilari (small town). The prefix Gsteig– was added to distinguish it from the many other Wilers, and means “abrupt mountain slope that one cannot drive a wagon on.”
The village church, Gsteig bei Interlaken is known for its murals and its cemetery.
When visiting cemeteries in my home countries of Switzerland, Germany and Denmark, we found that the majority of headstones are newer. Twenty years is the typical duration for burial before the site is turned over to a new “resident”. And although our family names appear frequently, their relation is unknown. It is a bit disappointing to not be able to locate specific burial sites for ancestors but recirculating burial sites is certainly a more logical use of land.
Isenfluh
Although not so high as ski resorts in the area, at an altitude of 3,547 ft the drive up and down to the hamlet of Isenfluh, particularly in the winter snow, was a bit white-knuckle. Thankfully the new-ish 1200 meter-long spiral tunnel, named Chuchischleif, makes the drive easier than former times when the road was one-way (open for 20 minutes going one direction, closed for 20 minutes, then open for 20 minutes going in the opposite direction). Switzerland has quite a few spiral tunnels including the Jungfrau tunnel which goes from Kleine Scheidegg up to the Jungfraujoch.
Amsoldingen
We spent a Sunday driving from Interlaken to Thun stopping along the way at the municipalities of Amsoldingen, Uebeschi, Thierachern and Belpberg. Each municipality consists of a cluster of homes with maybe a church or an inn but relying on nearby Thun for an urban center.
Because we made this trip on Sunday the roads and the countryside were very quiet and nothing was open for business until we reached Thun.
Amsoldingen features a lovely Ottonian basilica and castle, St Mauritius, which we would like to see the inside of on a future visit.
Uebeschi
Next stop, Uebeschi, where we discovered Käserei Uebeschi, cheesemakers, definitely worth a visit. Many of our Baehler ancestors were born in Uebeschi and after settling in Wisconsin made their livings operating creameries and as cheesemakers.
Thierachern
Wending our way through farmland on back country roads we followed the roadsigns from one municipality to another and made our way to Thierachern and then through Belpberg on our way to Thun. Gasthof Löwen was not open but their website made us want to return in better weather.
Belpberg
Thun
We arrived at Thun a bit after 12:00 noon, parked the car and set out for a walk up to Thun Castle, which dates from the 12th century. The museum housed in the castle tower is open daily from February through October and only on Sunday the rest of the year. So the museum was open and because of the time of year, not at all crowded.
The Museum offers beautiful views of the town through tower windows and also cultural and historical displays.
Of special interest to me was the collection of “Thuner Majolica” with its traditional folk Swiss edelweiss borders surrounding miniature paintings of alpine landscapes.
Also of special interest was the display about William Tell, an important figure in Swiss national history. The simple children’s story familiar to most of us here in the U.S. is a more complicated layering of fact, political history and legend.
After all this wandering we were ready for a nice Italian lunch at Ristorante Primavera before driving back to Interlaken!