' ' • NOVEMBER, 1 969 - the DHO

THE WAB
The
HE newcomer's first glimpse of Wengen comes
Tinevitably from the windows of a WAB train,
unless he chooses to walk up from Lauterbrunnen,
which few care to do these days. Yet less than
eighty years ago, the long climb was the only way to
get to Wengen and beyond. Not surprisingly, few
people wanted to make the journey.
Tourism in the high alps is a relatively modern
pastime. Even so, the Lauterbrunnen valley seems
to have been popular even in the middle ages.
There are records going back to the 12th century of
religious and secular notables visiting both Lauterbrunnen
and Grindelwald to attend the dedication
of churches. One wonders if it was the churches
which drew the dignitaries or if the dignitaries
arranged for the churches to be built so that they
could have the excuse for a trip to the mountains.
Nevertheless, the 16th and 17th centuries saw
people come along to study the mountains, but, one
gathers, at a distance, However, by the 18th century,
guides began to make an appearance, student trips
were organized and it became fashionable to attend
the 'Gletscherschule'. The tracks across the mountains
were, still very poor, and, in fact, there
is no written record of the crossing from Lauterbrunnen
to Grindelwald before 1776.
In the 19th century, foreigners began to be seen
more and more in the valleys. Some of them would
spend months on end in Interlaken, and at popular
times, accommodation in Interlaken became hard
to find. People had to be put up in places like
Bonigen and Lauterbrunnen, and this meant the
development of a thriving local transport industry.
It is hardly surprising that a plan was first brought
out about 1870 to build a railway of sorts up to
Wengernalp. The idea was to build a conventional
railway to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, and
from those places, a combination of waterpowered
funiculars and steam-powered cog railways would
climb over the Scheidegg. The idea was dropped,
though, because of its high cost.
Some twenty years later, however, the BOB was
to open up the valleys to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen,
and the old idea of the mountain railway
came under close scrutiny again.
Now, people do not change much. There were
loud and numerous protests about the invasion of
the mountains. The protests came not only from the
local inhabitants, but from mountain and nature
lovers all over the world. The local people, however,
were more specific in their opposition—and in the
fears which led to them. The 'ring of iron' would
bring too much change; it would disturb a tranquil
life. They preferred life to be quiet and predictable.
Tourism was not yet a real industry in the valleys—
in 1889, there were only two hotels in Lauterbrunnen,
and four in Wengen. The Mayor of
Interlaken protested that the plan was premature—
nature would be disturbed. Not surprisingly, the
organizers of the local transport facilities were, to a
man, against the plan, and they sought to claim
compensation if the railways did go up into the
mountains.
The outcome was the usual series of promises
people get from the authorities, and which the
authorities have no intention of keeping. The
Oberlander Zeitung put the matter into a nutshell.
'First of all, they wanted to get the communities to
contribute to a railway between the lakes—the
Brunigbahn. The communities said: Yes, as long
as no railways are built into the Valleys! And
they were given promises about that. Then came the
valley railways, at least in concept, and the people of
Lauterbrunnen said: Yes, as long as you don't build
a railway to Miirren. Then came the plan to build a
railway to Murren, and the Milrreners said: Yes, as
long as you don't later want to build one up to the
Schilthorn. And they got that promise too.' Well,
the promise about the Schilthombahn at least seems
to have lasted longer than the rest!
Photo Wengernalpbahn
Steamtrain at Wengernalp Station
about 1900.
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