Samuel Brawand (born 18 May 1898 in Grindelwald, Switzerland, died 11 July 2001 in Grindelwald) was a Swiss politician (SP) and mountaineer. [1] [2]
Samuel Brawand (born 18 May 1898 in Grindelwald, Switzerland, died 11 July 2001 in Grindelwald) was a Swiss politician (SP) and mountaineer. [1] [2]
Brawand, who came from a modest background, lost his father, a mountain guide, at the age of four when he was killed by lightning at the top of the Wetterhorn. [3] After Brawand had graduated from the Lehrerseminar (school for teachers) in Hofwil, he worked as a primary school teacher, a small farmer, rancher and cattle breeder, and very intensively as a guide, especially for climbers from Japan. As a mountaineer, he made a name for himself with the first ascent of the Mittellegigrat (the northeast ridge of the Eiger) on 10 September 1921, serving as guide for Maki Yūkō along with fellow guides Fritz Amatter and Fritz Steuri. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Brawand's first political position was a Gemeinderat (municipal council) seat held in Grindelwald. From 1933 to 1935 he belonged to the Grand Council of Bern and from 1935 to 1947 to the National Council (the second chamber of the Federal Assembly). [1] [2] During World War II Brawand presided over the Begnadigungskommission (Clemency Commission) of the National Council. From 1947 to 1962, Brawand was a member of the Conseil d'Etat of the Canton of Bern and headed the governing body for building and railway management. [1] [2] From 1950 to 1951 and from 1961 to 1962 he was President of the Conseil d'Etat (i.e. head of government) of Bern. [2]
From July 1962 to June 1968 Brawand was director of the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon railway (BLS). From 1955 to 1967 he again served in the National Council. [1] [2] As chairman of the Federal Road Commission Brawand played an important role in the modernization and expansion of roads in Switzerland, including the creation of the Swiss freeways. [2] Brawand served on the administrative boards of several railway companies, was a member of the Internationalen Simplonkommission (International Simplon Commission) and President of Kraftwerke Oberhasli.
On 2 December 1961 Brawand was made an honorary citizen of his home town of Grindelwald. In 1962 he was honored by the University of Bern with an honorary doctorate. Brawand gained fame as a writer and as a scholar of the Grindelwald dialect. He died in Grindelwald on 11 July 2001 at the age of 103. [2]
The Swiss rail network is noteworthy for its density, its coordination between services, its integration with other modes of transport, timeliness and a thriving domestic and trans-Alp freight system. This is made necessary by strong regulations on truck transport, and is enabled by properly coordinated intermodal logistics.
The Jungfrau, at 4,158 meters (13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall of mountains overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.
The Eiger is a 3,967-metre (13,015 ft) mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m (13,642 ft), constituting one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps. While the northern side of the mountain rises more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above the two valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, the southern side faces the large glaciers of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, the most glaciated region in the Alps. The most notable feature of the Eiger is its nearly 1,800-metre-high (5,900 ft) north face of rock and ice, named Eiger-Nordwand, Eigerwand or just Nordwand, which is the biggest north face in the Alps. This huge face towers over the resort of Kleine Scheidegg at its base, on the eponymous pass connecting the two valleys.
The Finsteraarhorn is a mountain lying on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais. It is the highest mountain of the Bernese Alps and the most prominent peak of Switzerland. The Finsteraarhorn is the ninth-highest mountain and third-most prominent peak in the Alps. In 2001 the whole massif and surrounding glaciers were designated as part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage Site.
Grindelwald is a village and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Berne. In addition to the village of Grindelwald, the municipality also includes the settlements of Alpiglen, Burglauenen, Grund, Itramen, Mühlebach, Schwendi, Tschingelberg and Wargistal.
The Kleine Scheidegg is a mountain pass at an elevation of 2,061 m (6,762 ft), situated below and between the Eiger and Lauberhorn peaks in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The name means "minor watershed", as it only divides the two arms of the Lütschine river, both converging at Zweilütschinen, while the nearby Grosse Scheidegg divides the Lütschine from the Rychenbach stream.
The Jungfraujoch is a saddle connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of 3,463 metres (11,362 ft) above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx. The Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch.
The Bernese Oberland, sometimes also known as the Bernese Highlands, is the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern. It is one of the canton's five administrative regions. It constitutes the Alpine region of the canton and the northern side of the Bernese Alps, including many of its highest peaks, among which the Finsteraarhorn, the highest in both range and canton.
Kleine Scheidegg is a railway station and hub that is situated on the summit of Kleine Scheidegg, a mountain pass in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The pass, located between the Lauberhorn and the Eiger's ridge, houses a complex of hotels and railway buildings. Administratively, the station is in the municipality of Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern, a few metres from the border with the municipality of Grindelwald.
Eigergletscher is a railway station in the municipality of Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern. The station is served by trains of the Jungfrau railway, which run to the Jungfraujoch from Kleine Scheidegg, where they connect with services from Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Grindelwald via the Bernese Oberland railway and the Wengernalp railway.
Eigerwand is a currently disused underground railway station on the Jungfrau railway, which runs to the Jungfraujoch from Kleine Scheidegg. The station is situated just behind the north wall of the Eiger, and its principal purpose was to allow passengers to observe the view through a series of windows carved into the rock face. Trains to Jungfraujoch used to stop at the station for five minutes.
Eismeer railway station is an underground railway station bored into the mountain Eiger on the Jungfrau Railway, which runs to the Jungfraujoch from Kleine Scheidegg. It lies at an altitude of 3,159 metres above sea level, which makes it the second highest railway station in Europe. Located just behind the south-east face of the Eiger, the station's principal purpose is to allow passengers to observe the view of the glacier Ischmeer. To that end, uphill trains stop at the station for five minutes.
Jungfraujoch is an underground railway station situated near the Jungfraujoch, in the canton of Valais, a few metres from the border with the canton of Bern. At 3,454 metres (11,332 ft) above sea level, it is the terminus of the Jungfrau Railway and the highest railway station in Switzerland and Europe. The Jungfrau Railway runs from Kleine Scheidegg in the Bernese Oberland, through the Jungfrau Tunnel and crosses the border between the two cantons shortly before the terminus.
Maki Yūkō, also known as Maki Aritsune, was a Japanese mountain climber.
Fritz Steuri was a Swiss mountain climber and Nordic and alpine skier. He was a three-time Swiss champion in cross-country skiing. In 1921, he took part in the first ascent of the Mittellegigrat.
The Mittellegi Hut is a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps, located on the Mittellegi ridge of the Eiger above Grindelwald. It is the highest mountain hut in the canton of Bern. Its construction was funded by Maki Yūkō, a Japanese climber, in 1924 as a memorial of his world first climb to the Eiger.
The Bergli Hut is a mountain hut of the Swiss Alpine Club, located south of Grindelwald in the canton of Bern. It lies at a height of 3,299 metres above sea level on a rocky outcrop of the Eismeer, the glacier at the eastern foot of the Eiger and the Mönch. The border with the canton of Valais runs 500 metres south of the hut.
The von Brawand family was a noble Bernese patrician family. First citizens of Bern around 1445, they were the leading family of the Interlaken region. Fairly removed from the politics of Bern, they remained overseers for the Canton in the Alpine region for centuries. The family's progenitor was Jan of Brabant, bastard son of the last Duke of Brabant, Jan III. Members of the family continue to have a regional influence today.
The recorded history of climbing of the Eiger mountain in Switzerland starts in the 1800s. It is split between the pre-north face era, when the main summits and easier ridges and faces were climbed, and the post-north face era, when it became one of the greatest prizes in mountaineering. At least sixty-four climbers have died while attempting the ascent.
Grindelwald Terminal railway station is a transportation complex in the municipality of Grindelwald in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is the valley station for two cableways: the Eiger Express to the Eiger Glacier, and the Grindelwald–Männlichen to the Männlichen. Trains on the Bernese Oberland line stop here as well, providing regular service to Interlaken Ost and Grindelwald.
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