Simmental House Trail
Splendid houses with impressively painted façades line the Simmental House Trail.
The breeding and export of the now world-famous Simmental cows already brought great wealth to this sunny mountain valley long ago. The locals of that era liked to showcase this wealth with splendid houses. And so a great carpentry tradition was born. The houses feature information boards with extensive facts about their age, architecture and special features.
Die reich geschmückten Häuser bezeugen den grossen Reichtum, den die Zucht und der Export der heute weltberühmten Simmentaler Kühe dem sonnigen Bergtal schon früh bescherte. Im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert erreichte das Bedürfnis nach Zierde und Dekoration seinen Höhepunkt. Die Fassade der Häuser zur Tal- oder Strassenseite hin wurde zur Schaufront. Sie demonstrierten sowohl den sozialen Status der Besitzer als auch das handwerkliche Können der Zimmermeister.
Mit dem Zug erreichen Sie stündlich ab Bern die Bahnhöfe Wimmis, Oey-Diemtigen, Erlenbach i. S., Ringoldingen, Därstetten, Weissenburg, Oberwil i.S., Enge i.S.und Boltigen.
Route description
The Simmental House Trail consists of two sections: the valley trail and the terrace trail. The terrace trail leads from Erlenbach to Boltigen, and the valley trail from Wimmis via Erlenbach to Weissenburg. The 39 selected houses are marked with plaques that inform you about the special features of each building. In addition to the aforementioned houses, there are many other pretty buildings along the way, as well as proud barns, wooden bridges, granaries, gardens, flowers, trees, forests, cows and lush meadows. It’s also worth taking a stroll through some of the villages, such as Erlenbach and Wimmis.
Depending on your endurance, enthusiasm and the time of year, the two legs of the trail can also be divided into smaller sections. The starting points of the various hiking routes are always the BLS train stations. Choose from a selection of easy, medium and challenging hiking routes.
BLS suggestion
“Agensteinhaus” valley museum
Would you like to see the inside of a Simmental house? One such house is open to you in Erlenbach at the “Agensteinhaus” valley museum, where the permanent exhibition includes objects from the daily agricultural life of the past in the Simmental. The museum is housed in a large farmhouse, which is itself a highlight of skilled carpentry.
Opening times
May – October: Wednesdays and Saturdays from 2.00–5.00 p.m.
Guided tours also available outside the opening times: Bernhard Wüthrich, Tel. +41 79 885 00 39
Admission
Adults pay CHF 5.00 for admission; children visit the museum for free.
Healing plant garden
The Simmental healing plant garden in Adlemsried (municipality of Boltigen) is home to more than 70 medicinal plants.
Opening times
Mid-June to end of September
Wednesdays from 9.00 a.m.–5.00 p.m.
Admission free.
Availability
The Simmental House Trail is accessible daily from April to October.
Getting there
Travelling by train, you can reach the train stations at Wimmis, Oey-Diemtigen, Erlenbach i.S., Ringoldingen, Därstetten, Weissenburg, Oberwil i.S., Enge i.S. and Boltigen every hour from Bern.
The Simmental House Trail is signposted from the train stations with brown signs.
