Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The writing on the post office building is a folksy blessing: “Summer brings green,
winter brings snow. The sun greets the day, the stars greet the night. This house will protect
you from rain, cold, and wind. May God give us his blessings.” Small as Gimmelwald is, it
still has daily mail service. The postman comes down from Mürren each day (by golf cart
in summer, sled in winter) to deliver mail and pick up letters at the communal mailbox. The
date on this building indicates when it was built or rebuilt (1911). Gimmelwald has a strict
building code: for instance, shutters can only be painted certain colors.
• From this tiny intersection, walk away from the cable-car station and follow the town's...
Main Street:
Walk up the road past the gnome greeting committee on the right. Notice
the announcement board: one side for tourist news, the other for local news (e.g., deals on
chainsaw sharpening, upcoming shooting competitions). Cross the street and peek into the
big barn, dated 1995. To the left of the door is a cow-scratcher. Swiss cows have legal rights
(e.g., in the winter, they must be taken out for exercise at least three times a week). This big
barnisbuiltinamodernstyle.Traditionally,barnsweresmall(likethoseonthehillsidehigh
above) and closer to the hay. But with trucks and paved roads, hay can be moved more eas-
ily, and farm businesses need more cows to be viable. Still, even a well-run big farm hopes
just to break even. The industry survives only with government subsidies. As you wander,
notice private garden patches. Until recently, most locals grew their own vegetables—often
enough to provide most of their family's needs.
• Go just beyond the next barn. On your right is the...
Water Fountain/Trough:
This is the site of the town's historic water supply—still per-
fectly drinkable. Village kids love to bathe and wage water wars here when the cows aren't
drinking from it. Detour left down a lane about 50 yards (along a wooden fence), passing
thelovinglytendedpea-patchgardensofthewomanwiththebestgreenthumbinthevillage
(on your left). Go to the next trough and the oldest building in town, Husmättli, from 1658.
(Most of the town's 17th-century buildings are on the road zigzagging below town.) Study
thelog-cabin construction. Manyarebuilt without nails. Thewoodwasloggedupthevalley
and cut on the water-powered village mill (also below town). Gimmelwald heats with wood,
and since the wood needs to age a couple of years to burn well, it's stacked everywhere.
From here (at the water trough), look up at the solar panels on the house of Olle and
Maria. A Swiss building code requires that new structures provide 30 percent of their own
power, part of a green energy policy. Switzerland is gradually moving away from nuclear
power; its last reactor is supposed to close in 2034.
• Return to the main paved road and continue uphill.
Twenty yards along, on the left, the first house has a bunch of scythes hanging above the
sharpening stone. Farmers pound, rather than grind, the blade to get it razor-sharp for effi-
cient cutting. Feel a blade...carefully.
