View source for Wengen

{{other uses}}
{{Infobox Swiss town
| subject_name         = Wengen
| municipality_type    = former
| imagepath_coa        = Wappen Wengen.jpg
| pixel_coa            =
| image_photo          = 1 wengen 2012.jpg
| image_caption        = Wengen in June 2012 <!-- a caption describing the photo -->
| snow_image           = <!-- a snow-covered photo of the municipality that will replace the main one for the first six months of the year -->
| snow_imagecaption    = <!-- a caption describing the snowy picture, will be shown along with it in from January to June -->
| map                  = <!-- if no other map is found automatically, this will link a map at the bottom of the infobox *2 -->
| canton               = Bern
| iso-code-region      = CH-BE
| district             = [[Interlaken-Oberhasli (administrative district)|Interlaken-Oberhasli]]
| within_municipality  = [[Lauterbrunnen]]
| coordinates          = {{coord|46|36|N|7|55|E|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code          = 3823
| municipality_code    = <!-- the four-digit SFOS number. Used to retrieve population figures and to link SFSO statistics, plus additional statistics for a number of cantons *3 -->
| population           = 1300
| populationof         = year-round
| area                 = 36.4
| elevation            = 1274
| elevation_description=
| position             = <!-- 'left' moves the label in the locator map to the left. Useful for cities in the east (e.g. Poschiavo) -->
| website              = <!-- e.g. www.rapperswil-jona.ch – if none is specified the template will link 'subject_name.ch', which usually works -->
| mayor                =
| mayor_asof           =
| mayor_party          =
| mayor_title          =
| list_of_mayors       =
| places               = <!-- a list of villages and other places within the municipality, particularly useful for municipalities created through mergers -->
| demonym              =
| neighboring_municipalities =
|}}
{{Location map | Alps
| relief     = 1
| label      = <small>Wengen</small>
| lat        = 46.6
| long       = 7.9167
| caption    = Location in the [[Alps]] of [[Europe]]
| marksize   = 5
| float      =
| background=
| width      = 270
}}
[[File:Wengen and Jungfrau in summer.jpg|thumb|The [[Wengeralpbahn]] leading into the town. The [[Jungfrau]] is visible in the background. ]]
'''Wengen''' ({{IPA|de|ˈvɛŋən|-|De-Wengen.ogg}}) is a mountain village in the [[Bernese Oberland]] of central [[Switzerland]]. Located in the [[canton of Bern]] at an [[elevation]] of {{convert|1274|m|abbr=on}} above [[sea level]], it is part of the [[Jungfrauregion]] and has approximately 1,300 year-round residents, which swells to 5,000 during summer and to 10,000 in the winter. Wengen hosts the classic [[Lauberhorn ski races]] of the [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup]] in January.
==History==
Wengen was first mentioned in official documents in 1268, and the origin of the name is unknown.
Primarily an alpine farming community, the village began to be visited by tourists in the early 19th century. [[Mary Shelley|Mary]] and [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]]'s ''[[History of a Six Weeks' Tour]]'' and [[George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron|Byron]]'s ''[[Manfred]]'', in which the scenery of the area is described, were published in 1817. This literature became the advent of the modern tourism industry for the village.<ref name="BritishTourism"/> [[Felix Mendelssohn]], to whom there is a memorial above the village, also visited in the early nineteenth century.
Guesthouses and hotels began to be built in the mid-19th century, with the opening of the ''Launerhaus'' in 1859, with accommodation for 30 guests, and in 1880 the ''Pension Wengen'' was available to 100 guests.<ref name="BritishTourism"/>  The building and opening of the [[Wengernalpbahn]] in the 1890s made the village more accessible to tourists who previously had to walk up the steep slopes to the alpine village, opening the area for an expansion of tourism and the beginning of the ski industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-270//301_read-1617/ |title=Wengernalpbahn:History |language=de |publisher=Jungfraubahnen |access-date=2010-05-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501184319/http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-270/301_read-1617/ |archive-date=May 1, 2010 }}
</ref>
In the early 20th century, British tourists started ski-clubs in the area, beginning in the nearby village of Mürren. By 1903 Wengen had an  [[Anglican Church]] and two years later, [[Henry Simpson Lunn|Sir Henry Lunn]] formed the [[Public Schools Alpine Sports Club]] with Wengen as a destination ski area for the members.<ref name="BritishTourism"/> A British [[Methodism|Methodist]] minister, Lunn first visited the area to organize a meeting of [[Protestant]] churches in nearby [[Grindelwald]] where he learned about winter sports such as skiing. He returned to the area in 1896 with his son [[Arnold Lunn|Arnold]], who quickly learned to ski, and both father and son realized the potential in the future of winter sports.  The club was established a few years later. Members of the Public Schools Alpine Sports Club were required to have attended an English public school or one of the "older universities".<ref>Beattie, p. 198</ref> Wengen's Curling Club was established in 1911.<ref name="BritishTourism">[http://pages.unibas.ch/shine/swisstour20.html British and American Visitors in Switzerland:History of Tourism in Switzerland]</ref>
The first [[Alpine skiing|ski races]] were held in the early 1920s with the British downhill championship held in 1921;  the following year a ski race was held between [[Oxford]] and [[Cambridge]].<ref>Beattie, p. 199</ref> These events were the first to have downhill races as opposed to Nordic races, which were held in other Swiss resorts. In Wengen, skiers requested use of the train system for access to the slopes; for some years trains were the earliest ski-lifts in the area.<ref>Hudson, p. 19</ref> Arnold Lunn used the natural terrain of the mountains for the courses; the downhill event followed the slopes above Wengen and was called the "straight down": skiers went straight down the mountain. Also during this period, Lunn invented, and introduced in Wengen, the first [[Slalom skiing|slalom]] race, in which skiers followed the terrain through the trees, replaced with ski gates in later years. These events are considered the birth of modern [[ski racing]] and Alpine [[skiing]].<ref>Allen, p. 99</ref>
From August 1944 to the end of [[World War II]], Wengen served as a sort of open-air internment camp for allied prisoners, mostly US bomber crews. Since the only practical way in or out of Wengen was via the cog railway, it was difficult for internees to escape.<ref name="WWII">{{cite web | url=http://swissinternees.tripod.com/wengen.htm | title=Wengen }}</ref>
==Churches==
Wengen has three churches; Protestant English and Swiss and Roman Catholic.
The Swiss church was rebuilt in the 1950s and overlooks the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
English churches were established during the nineteenth century in nearby Grindelwald, Meiringen, and Murren.  By 1912, Anglican services were taking place in Wengen's Swiss church twice on Sundays.<ref>Northern Whig, 29 August 1912, p.7</ref>  Desiring their own building, the Continental & Colonial Church Society erected a new English church, which was consecrated on 15 January 1928 by the [[Bishop of Fulham]].<ref>West Middlesex Gazette, 14 January 1928, p.9</ref>  The building is on the road formerly leading to the Mannlichen cable car lift.  The new cable car station is however nearer the centre of Wengen.  St Bernard's has been used for over 90 years for Sunday services and occasional offices, such as the memorial in 1949 for Anthony Carrick, a schoolboy who died in the mountains.<ref>Gloucestershire Echo, 14 September 1949, p.4</ref>  The congregation in 1954 was described as consisting 'of people from many parts of the British Commonwealth and America as well as English-speaking Continentals'.<ref>Belfast Telegraph, 1 August 1955, p.4</ref> The congregation continues to be diverse.
The Roman Catholic church stands adjacent to the Falken Hotel and has a distinctive onion dome.  Mass is celebrated on most Sundays in-season.
==Politics==
Together with villages of [[Mürren]], [[Isenfluh]], [[Gimmelwald]], [[Stechelberg]] and [[Lauterbrunnen]], Wengen forms the political commune of [[Lauterbrunnen]].
==Transport==
[[File:Wengen and Lauterbrunnen valley from Mannlichen.jpg|thumb|250px|left|View from [[Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen|Männlichen]] of Wengen, the [[Lauterbrunnen]] Valley and the [[Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen–Mürren|Mürren Cableway]] on the opposite side of the valley.]]
There are generally no roads to Wengen/Mürren.<ref name=access>{{cite web |title=Arrival by car |url=https://wengen.swiss/en/winter/plan-your-trip/arrival-by-car/ |website=Jungfrauregion |access-date=1 April 2019 |language=en |date=28 April 2016 |quote=There is no road that goes to Wengen or Mürren}}</ref> It is one of very few [[Carfree city|car-free resort villages]] in Europe, although there are a few service vehicles, local farm vehicles, electric vehicles for taxiing to and from the railway station. This creates a tranquil atmosphere throughout the village and reduces traffic noise. For ecological reasons other resorts are considering following the car-free example.<ref>Hudson p. 107</ref> Across the Lauterbrunnen valley, Mürren, too, is largely car free.<ref name=access/>
Wengen is serviced by the [[Rack railway]] system [[Wengernalpbahn]] (WAB), and the village is accessible directly from [[Lauterbrunnen]], or by train from [[Grindelwald]] via [[Kleine Scheidegg]], as well as by a series of gondola lifts from Grindelwald via [[Mannlichen]]. In Kleine Scheidegg, the mountain pass at the foot of the [[Eiger]], Mönch and Jungfrau, passengers must disembark and change trains to travel down to Grindelwald and Grund.  The rail service from Lauterbrunnen to [[Wengen railway station]] runs daily from early in the morning until very late at night and is the most intensively operated section of the [[Wengernalpbahn]]. There are approximately 40 services between Lauterbrunnen to Wengen every day. Each service may consist of up to 4 separate trains, running closely behind each other because during busy periods, the scheduled train can be followed by additional trains as necessary, optimizing capacity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jungfrau.ch/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-224//247_read-1026/ |title=Wengernalpbahn |language=de |publisher=Jungfraubahnen |access-date=2010-05-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522200106/http://www.jungfrau.ch/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-224/247_read-1026/ |archive-date=May 22, 2010 }}</ref>
[[File:WengenBahnhof.JPG|thumb|right|[[Wengen railway station]]]]
The uphill journey takes around 14 minutes, and the downhill journey takes 17 minutes. The downhill services take longer because they arrive at the midpoint passing place below [[Wengwald railway station|Wengwald]] slightly earlier than the uphill services, allowing the uphill services to pass them and proceed to Wengen without stopping. All trains now use the less steep but slightly longer route via Wengwald. The old route runs across the footpath to Wengen. It was used for freight transport after the new route was created, but has since been abandoned.  All freight is delivered by rail from Lauterbrunnen into a depot underneath the passenger railway station, and refuse is returned from the village also by rail. Every day one or two goods trains goes from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen and back carrying large items such as furniture.
The [[aerial tramway|cable car]] [[Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen]] operates seasonally.  The view from the tram and from Männlichen above, affords clear vistas of Wengen and much of Lauterbrunnen Valley and small villages.
== Recreation ==
[[File:Karl Schranz, Lauberhorn 1966.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Karl Schranz]] winning in 1966]]
[[File:Lauterbrunnental2.jpg|thumb|200px|View from Wengen<br />of [[Jungfrau]] and [[Lauterbrunnental]]]]
Wengen hosts the internationally well-known [[Lauberhorn ski races]], and it is on the route of the [[Jungfrau Marathon]].
The classic ski races have been held in Wengen since 1930, and traditionally consist of a [[Downhill (ski competition)|downhill]], a [[Slalom skiing|slalom]], and a [[Alpine skiing combined|combined]] event. In addition to being one of the technically most challenging downhill races, the Lauberhorn is the longest race in the [[International Ski Federation|FIS]] [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|World Cup]] circuit and arguably the most scenic. The top racers complete the {{convert|4.455|km|2|abbr=on}} run in about 2½ minutes and the top speeds reached at ''Haneggschuss'' are the highest on the circuit, approaching {{convert|160|km/h|-1|abbr=on}} a half-minute prior to the finish.
[[File:Detail of the watercolour 'Wengen chalet', 1884 by Helga von Cramm (1840-circa 1901).jpg|thumbnail|200px|A [[Watercolor painting|watercolour]] (dated 1894)<br />by Helga von Cramm (1840-c. 1920)]]
== Culture ==
A special cultural feature of Wengen is the so-called "Pfeifende Lurch" (German for "whistling amphibian"). It is a legendary creature from myths and tales that only exists in Wengen.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |title=From Skisport to Skiing |last=Allen |first=John B. |year=1996 |publisher=University of Massachusetts Press |isbn=978-0-19-530955-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-n0Hz0uUy_AC&q=wengen+skiing+history |access-date=2010-06-04}}
*{{cite book |title=The Alps: A Cultural History |last=Beattie |first=Andrew |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-530955-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aNX9WbwAzg8C&q=wengen+history |access-date=2010-06-04}}
*{{cite book |title=Snow Business: A Study of the International Ski Industry |last=Hudson |first=Simon |year=2000 |publisher=Cengage Learning EMEA |isbn=978-0-304-70471-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tGRLt8tG-kMC&q=wengen+skiing+history|access-date=2010-06-04}}
{{refend}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Wengen (Switzerland)}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Villages in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Bernese Oberland]]
[[Category:Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Car-free villages in Switzerland]]