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Unspunnen – A Festival for Reconciliation Between City and Countryside
The Unspunnen Festival is a Swiss folklore event
with a long tradition. The first festivals of 1805
and 1808 had the aim of reviving the old pastoral
habitats and bridging the gap between
the rural population of the Bernese Oberland
and the aristocratic townspeople of Bern. Both
events were a great success, attracting between
3000 and 5000 visitors to Interlaken. With their
paintings and travel reports, painters and writers
made these alpine shepherd festivals known far
beyond the borders of the country, triggering a
strong boost in the development of tourism.
Guests from Switzerland and abroad were
able to meet in a natural arena with the Jungfrau
in the background and become familiar with the
customs of the alpine people. Traditional competitions,
such as ‘Schwingen’, a type of wrestling,
stone-throwing and shooting were held. The socalled
“Unspunnen stone”, as it is known today,
is a colossal boulder weighing more than 80 kilograms.
The strongest men were able to toss this
stone up to four metres. This sports programme
was accompanied by entertainment such as yodelling
and alphorn blowing.
The Unspunnen Festival had other goals.
The French Revolution destroyed the old ruling
system in Europe and set in motion a change of
values. Industrialization and increasing tourism
threatened the nature-based and traditional
way of life of the alpine people. In these times
of social and political upheaval, the Unspunnen
Festivals were a reminder of traditional values,
traditions and folk customs. At the same time,
the festivals were designed to strengthen Swiss
national awareness after the defeat by Napoleon.
The Unspunnen Festival was held again on
its centennial anniversary. Other events followed,
with the last major folk festival taking
place in 2017.
Transparency: The area where the alpine shepherd’s festival of Unspunnen took place in 1805 and 1808 – a natural arena with the Jungfrau as its backdrop.
Photo: The area of the first alpine shepherd’s festival today, from the same standpoint.
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