Brienz
Intro
Brienz is located in the middle of charming mountains at the eastern end of turquoise-coloured Lake Brienz. The cosy village is starting point for excursions to the Bernese Oberland, the Ballenberg Open-air Museum but also to Lucerne or Interlaken or across the nearby Alpine passes.
Description
The probably most romantic part of Brienz is the Brunngasse which, having once been awarded the title «most beautiful street in Europe», is well-known abroad. Most of the houses in the street date from the 18th century and are decorated with wood carvings. Brienz, which is well-known as the "village of carving" has a long tradition in wood processing and to this day has a school for carving and violin-making.
Winter
Summer
The two railway stations are just a short distance away from the ship embarkation point: Brienz is located on the narrow-gauge railway line which links the famous holiday destinations of Interlaken, Meiringen-Hasliberg, Brünig, Lucerne and Engelberg. The other station is the small base station of the steam rack-railway up the Brienzer Rothorn panorama and hiking peak.
At the Ballenberg Open-air Museum a look into the kitchens, chambers, living rooms and workshops of the authentically reconstructed houses and farms of agricultural Switzerland dating from the 16th to the 19th century prove that this museum is not about showing off a collection of dusty rareties but instead is dedicated to treating visitors to a real experience.