Hasliberg

Hasliberg is a Swiss municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern. Hasliberg is situated on a south-west facing terrace above the valley of the river Aare. The four villages spread out along this terrace are, from west to east, Hohfluh, Wasserwendi, Goldern and Reuti. Hasliberg has become a popular destination for winter sports. An international boarding school, the Ecole d'Humanité, is located in Goldern. Hasliberg is first mentioned in 1358 as Hasle an dem berge. The name is derived from the Old High German hasal "hazel". After 1834 it was known as Hasleberg. Since 1923 the spelling has been Hasliberg. A few, scattered Roman coins were found in the municipality, but the earliest known settlement dates back to the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages Hasliberg was part of the Vogtei of Oberhasli and the parish of Meiringen. In 1334 the entire Oberhasli Vogtei was acquired by Bern. For most of their history, the residents of Hasliberg raised crops in the valleys, raised cattle and horses in seasonal alpine herding camp and produced cheeses from the milk. Beginning in the 14th century they began to mine iron ore from the surrounding hills and mountains. Blast furnaces were built in the Mühletal, and many residents cut timber or produced charcoal for the furnaces. They also made a small amount of money from traffic over the Brünig Pass. Beginning in the High Middle Ages, the Hasliberg often fought with the neighboring municipalities of Lungern and Kerns over grazing land in the high alpine meadows. In 1528 the municipality, along with the entire Canton of Bern, adopted the new faith of the Protestant Reformation and the chapel in Wasserwendi was demolished. Hasliberg joined the Reformed parish of Meiringen. In 1939 a Reformed church was built in Hohfluh and in 1967 it finally became the parish church for the municipality. A Catholic chapel opened in the village in 1977. The farmers of the area organized into Bäuerten or farming communities quite early.