Swiss handicrafts in Brienz

Take the hiking trail from Axalp above Brienz to the idyllic Hinterburgsee lake and watch the chips fly!

The Giessbach plunges over 14 steps into the turquoise Lake Brienz. Follow the hiking trail behind the waterfall and feel the refreshing spray on your skin. In the background sits the historic Grandhotel Giessbach.

Despite undergoing a number of technical updates, the funicular railway still radiates the same nostalgic charm and romance it did way back in 1879.

Sustainability has been a passionate calling at Giessbach ever since its rescue between 1982 and 1984. In 2019, efforts began to restore the historic vegetable garden from 1897. Today, herbs are harvested from our own garden, vegetables—wherever possible—come from our own fields or from the estate’s historic garden houses, and even the honey is produced by Giessbach’s own bees and is available for purchase. Naturally, all products are organic. Our beekeeper currently cares for 10 bee colonies, yielding around 400 kg of honey from the Giessbach estate each year. The peaceful, native Swiss bee species, the Carnica bee, has found a true home at Giessbach. Birds also find a safe breeding place in the park, with around 15 birdhouses offering shelter. When old trees in the nature park die, it can take decades for their trunks to decompose. During this time, they serve as deadwood habitats—an essential lifeline for thousands of species. Dead trees are among the richest and most vital ecosystems in the forest. Roughly a quarter of all forest-dwelling species depend on them. In Switzerland alone, these include dozens of bird species, hundreds of types of lichens, thousands of fungi and beetle species, and millions of microorganisms. The Giessbach Falls and their surrounding landscape have been designated a cantonal natural monument since 1950 and are protected accordingly. Thanks to the Giessbach Foundation, the Grandhotel Giessbach and its forest are now recognized as a cultural asset of national importance.

Experience the natural ice rink in Brienz from December to February with the whole family.

Learn everything about the manufacture and production of Trauffer wooden toys.

Ever since 1892, the Brienz Rothorn Railway in Brienz in the Bernese Oberland has been stomping, huffing and puffing towards the Brienzer Rothorn.