The Emmental (Emme valley), renowned for its cheese, is a fertile farming region extending east from Berne towards the Napf (1,408 m/4,620ft), with a characteristic way of life which was described in the works of the 19th C. novelist Jeremias Gotthelf (Albert Bitzius), who was pastor at Lützelflüh. Until about 1800 it was thought that good cheese could be made only from the milk of the Alps; but the first cheese dairies in the valleys were then established in the Emmental, and the excellent cheese produced there is now exported far and wide. A model Emmentaler cheese dairy has been opened in Affoltern.
The Kleine Emme (Little Emme) rises on the Giswilerstock and flows down through the Mariental and Entlebuch valley to join the Reuss after a course of 58km/36mi. The Grosse Emme (Great Emme) rises on the Hohgant (2,197 m/7,208ft), north of Lake Brienz and flows through the Emmental to join the Aare east of Solthurn after a course of 80km/50mi. The Emmental is a region of gently rolling country with a long tradition of good farming with many farms having belonged to the same families for centuries. Although traditional values are deeply rooted, the farmers of the Emmental have been among the pioneers of modern agriculture in Switzerland. The farmhouses have a distinctive character - substantial and well-built, with arcades, an abundance of flowers and often elaborate carved decoration - as have the barns and the little houses for the grandparents, and the inns with the old traditional names, the "Bear" and the "Lion", the "Star" and the "Crown". The region offers endless walking opportunities off the beaten track.
The Emmental is the shortest route from Berne to Lake Lucerne. Road 10 runs from Berne to Langnau (30km/19mi) and from there via Wolhusen to Lucerne (92km/57mi).
Read More
Read Less
Read More
Read More
Read Less
