Lake Thun and Its Surroundings

LAKE THUN AND ITS SURROUNDINGS

The Bernese Oberland was one of the earliest destinations for tourist travel. Travel guides, which gradually came into vogue in the late 18th century, played an important role in promoting early tourism, such as Johann G. Ebel’s (1764–1830) “Guide to the Most Useful and Enjoyable Way to Travel in Switzerland,” first published in 1793.

The most famous tour in our region around 1880 led from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen (Staubbach), via Wengernalp and Kleine and Grosse Scheidegg to Meiringen, on to Rosenlaui, and back to Interlaken via Lake Brienz.

Boat travel on Lake Thun was a key part of this journey. Steam-powered boats began operating on Lake Thun in 1835, and travelers preferred this mode of transport to traveling by carriage along the barely developed roads bordering the lake. Thun was a key starting point for this journey and, with the Freienhof—built in 1783—boasted what was then the most modern inn far and wide.

In 1834, the “Hotel Bellevue et des Bains” guesthouse was built in Thun-Hofstetten; it is considered the first modern hotel in the Bernese Oberland.

Along with the first tourists, numerous artists also began arriving in our region in the late 18th century. Their depictions of the magnificent landscapes—which, thanks to intaglio printing techniques, could soon be reproduced with the greatest of ease—contributed significantly to the development of tourism.

About the Exhibition at the Kunsthaus

The exhibition *Der Thunersee et ses Environ* features works from this early period through the 21st century.

Caspar Wolf (1735–1783), with his work *Thunderstorm over Lake Thun* (ca. 1774/77), marked the beginning of an artistic engagement with the Alpine lake and its surroundings that continues to this day.

A whole host of artists—known as “Kleinmeister,” or “minor masters,” as the creators of these colored watercolor drawings are also called—followed in his footsteps and, with their striking depictions, contributed greatly to the image of the Bernese Oberland that remains a magnet for hundreds of thousands of visitors to this day.

In addition to Heinrich Rieter* (1751–1818), Gabriel Lory Père* (1763–1840) and Gabriel Lory Fils* (1784–1864) deserve mention, as well as Johann Jakob Wetzel (1781–1834) and Franz Niklaus König* (1765–1832), who lived in Interlaken and Unterseen.

Lake Thun was also a central theme for Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918), the most important painter of our region. Time and again, from various locations and at different times, the artist painted the lake and the surrounding mountains. Including his work in the exhibition is a must.

In 1910, the Bernese painter Louis Moilliet (1880–1962) moved to Gunten on Lake Thun. The famous painters August Macke (1887–1914) and Paul Klee (1879–1940) also spent a brief time here. Both captured the lake landscape in various works.

In the period following Hodler, numerous artists have engaged with the Lake Thun motif to this day. Many, however, have scarcely moved beyond imitative (influenced by the great master Hodler) landscape depictions.

Only in recent times have we seen independent explorations of the theme once again, a development also linked to the new media that have found their way into contemporary art: photography, film, video...

The exhibition showcases various independent artistic approaches from recent and contemporary times:

including works by Cuno Amiet, Hanny Bay, Bendicht Friedli, Gottfried Tritten, Etienne Clare, Heinrich Gartentor,

Jean Frédéric Schnyder, Anna Spühler, Chantal Michel, and others.

Tourism Context

As in the highly acclaimed exhibitions on Lake Brienz, the Grindelwald Glaciers, and the Rosenlaui, this exhibition also aims to highlight the historical connections between art and tourism in our region during the 18th and 19th centuries. Old prints, historical photographs, and promotional posters, accompanied by minimal text (including text in foreign languages), will illustrate this “special exhibition.”

The special exhibition on the first floor of the Kunsthaus highlights the significance of Lake Thun for the development of tourism following the Unspunnen Festivals of 1805–08. The advertising leading up to the two Unspunnen Festivals throughout Europe, as well as the extensive coverage afterward, were so effective that even decades later, visitors came to the Oberland to see the site of the Unspunnen Festivals. Today, the first two festivals are regarded as the spark that ignited modern tourism.

The visiting guests had to be fed and housed. The local population realized that they could make money from the guests. Soon the first guesthouses were established, and around 1850 the famous hotels were built on the Höhematte.

The start of steamboat service on Lake Thun in 1835 made it possible to transport larger groups of tourists to Interlaken, into the inner Oberland, to Grindelwald, and to its neighboring valleys of Lauterbrunnen and Oberhasli. The region soon became a destination for numerous artists as well.

In addition to a brief historical overview, this section of the exhibition also focuses on art.

Historical posters by artists and graphic designers bear witness to the high standards that were once set for poster design.

Painters such as Etienne Clare and Otto Baumberger created promotional posters for the lake and the surrounding towns, which were often drawn and printed as original lithographs in Thun at the Casserini Lithography Studio or in Meiringen at the Brügger Art Studio.

The advent of offset printing supplanted lithography and, with it, the artists from the field of commercial art.

Thanks to this, and to the wide range and high quality of the artworks on display, the Lake Thun exhibition offers an exciting experience for both local art lovers and visitors to our region—whether they’re art enthusiasts or not, on rainy days or when the weather is fine.

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.