Grindelwald (grĭn'dəlvält), town (1990 est. pop. 3,733), Bern canton, S central Switzerland, at the foot of the Eiger, Schreckhorn, and Wetterhorn peaks. It was one of the first Alpine resorts.
Grindelwald
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| Population | 3,809 (December 2007[update]) | |||||||||
| - Density | 22 /km2 (58 /sq mi) | |||||||||
| Area | 171.1 km2 (66.1 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Elevation | 1,034 m (3,392 ft) | |||||||||
| Postal code | 3818 | |||||||||
| SFOS number | 0576 | |||||||||
| Mayor | Emanuel Schläppi | |||||||||
| Localities | Alpiglen, Grund, Itramen, Mühlebach, Schwendi, Tschingelberg, Wargistal | |||||||||
| Surrounded by | Brienz, Brienzwiler, Fieschertal (VS), Guttannen, Innertkirchen, Iseltwald, Lauterbrunnen, Lütschental, Meiringen, Schattenhalb | |||||||||
| Twin towns | Azumi, now Matsumoto (Japan) | |||||||||
| Website | www.grindelwald.com SFSO statistics |
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  Grindelwald
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This article is about the Swiss municipality. For the Dark Wizard in the Harry Potter series, see Gellert Grindelwald.
Grindelwald is a municipality in the district of Interlaken in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The village is located at 1,034 metres (3,390 ft) above sea level in the Bernese Alps.
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Winter Sports
Long famed as a winter tourist destination with slopes for beginners, intermediates and the challenges of the Eiger glacier for the experienced, there are activities for the non-skiers, from tobogganing to groomed winter hiking tracks. It is the usual starting point for ascents of the Eiger and the Wetterhorn. Nowadays Grindelwald is also a popular summer activity resort with many miles of hiking trails across the Alps.
Geography
Grindelwald has an area of 171.1 square kilometers (66.1 sq mi). Of this area, 30.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 16% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (51.7%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[1]
The municipality is quite large and is divided into seven mountain communities. However the municipality is dominated by the large village and tourist center of Grindelwald.
History
Grindelwald is first mentioned in 1146 as Grindelwalt.[2]
Demographics
Grindelwald has a population (as of 2007[update]) of 3,809, of which 15.8% are foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has decreased at a rate of -3.4%. Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (86.8%), with Portuguese being second most common (4.5%) and French being third (1.7%).
In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 54.8% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the FDP (14.2%), the Green Party (10.1%) and the SPS (8.6%).
The age distribution of the population (as of 2000[update]) is children and teenagers (0-19 years old) make up 21.1% of the population, while adults (20-64 years old) make up 62.6% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 16.3%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Grindelwald about 66.8% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).
Grindelwald has an unemployment rate of 2.66%. As of 2005[update], there were 365 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 138 businesses involved in this sector. 378 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 53 businesses in this sector. 1,961 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 225 businesses in this sector.[1]
The historical population is given in the following table:[2]
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1764 | 1,816 |
| 1850 | 2,924 |
| 1900 | 3,346 |
| 1920 | 2,998 |
| 1950 | 3,053 |
| 2000 | 4,069 |
Transportation
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Grindelwald can be reached by train (Berner Oberland Bahn) from Interlaken.
The Wengernalpbahn connects Grindelwald to the Kleine Scheidegg from where the Jungfraubahn ascends inside the Eiger to the Jungfraujoch and trains descend to Wengen.
The Gondelbahn Grindelwald-Männlichen connects Grindelwald with the Männlichen and with onward travel on the Luftseilbahn Wengen-Männlichen offers an alternative route to Wengen.
The minor summit of First is accessible by ski lift from Grindelwald.
In the media
Many scenes of the documentary film The Alps were shot in the region of Grindelwald, particularly on the north face of the Eiger. The James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service includes a chase through a skating rink and Christmas festival in Grindelwald.[3] Grindelwald's mountains were used as the basis for the view of Alderaan in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.[4] Some of the action scenes in The Golden Compass were also shot in Grindelwald.[5]
Famous residents
- Richard Wagner
- Martina Schild, alpine skier, runner-up in the 2006 Winter Olympics women's downhill race
- Hedy Schlunegger, Olympic champion 1948 in downhill skiing
- Oleg Protopopov and Ludmila Belousova, 1964 and 1968 Olympic figure skating champions
See also
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Grindelwald |
- Grindelwald official website
- Webcams
- Grindelwald in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
References
- ^ a b Swiss Federal Statistical Office accessed 12-Jun-2009
- ^ a b Grindelwald in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ IMDB-On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- ^ IMDB-Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- ^ IMDB-The Golden Compass
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Mentioned in
- Franz Niklaus K?nig (art)
- Kandlbauer (Rock Band)
- Grindelwald (disambiguation)
- Gondelbahn Grindelwald-Männlichen
