Where Two Lakes Frame the Roof of Europe
Nestled on a narrow strip of land between the shimmering turquoise waters of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, Interlaken has lured travellers into the heart of the Bernese Oberland since Augustinian monks first settled "between the lakes" in 1133. What began as a monastic toll station guarding a bridge over the Aare grew into the 19th-century playground of Romantic poets, Victorian aristocrats, and daredevil mountaineers.
Today, the Jungfrau massif still towers over the Höheweg promenade like a theatrical backdrop, paragliders spiral down to the central meadow, and the old town of Unterseen whispers tales of Habsburg rivalries and alpine resilience. This is a town that has always existed at the threshold — between water and rock, between the everyday and the sublime.
"Between these two lakes, the world arranged itself into its most perfect form — water below, rock above, and the infinite sky between." — 19th-century alpine traveller's journal