Engelberg is a village in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Engelberg has a population (as of ) of . , 21.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.

It is the leading mountain resort (Urner Alps) in central Switzerland. In the Middle Ages, Engelberg was known for the educational accomplishments of its Benedictine monastery, the Engelberg Abbey, whose school was well-known and regarded throughout the country. From the 19th Century, Engelberg became internationally known as a resort and spa, but is today visited as much for skiing as for its clean air. With its combination of modern sports facilities and alpine location, Engelberg is a magnet for both summer and winter tourism. The closest large cities are Lucerne and Zurich.

History

Engelberg is first mentioned as Engilperc in 1122, when the Abbey was first founded there, although the mountain pasture of Trübsee was already exploited collectively before this time.

From 1850, Engelberg became an international vacation resort (mineral water, milk serum and fresh air cures). Many hotels were built by the families Cattani, Hess and Odermatt, pioneers of tourism. From 1872 to 1874, a new, wider road was built, and the Stansstad-Engelberg electric railway was opened in 1898.

Hiking and other mountain sports developed at the end of 19th Century and Engelberg first held a winter season in 1903-1904. Since 1913, a funicular railway connects Engelberg to Gerschnialp and, from there, the second cable car in Switzerland (1927) led to Trübsee. The decade preceding the First World War was a period of boom conditions (165,922 visitor-nights in 1911). The widening of the road and the extension of the railway to Luzern (1964) considerably opened up the tourism catchment area of the station and, in 1967, the higher section of the Titlis cable car was opened. Recently, regular conferences in Engelberg came to supplement winter tourism. In 2000, the tertiary sector, especially tourism, offered three quarters of the employment of Engelberg.

Geography

Engelberg has an area of . Of this area, 28.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 24.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (43.9%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

The average altitude of Engelberg is . However the town is surrounded by the Alps, creating very steep terrain. The highest point in the borders of the town is Mt. Titlis which is .

Tourism

The ski terrain is largely for advanced skiers, and although there are some easy places to ski, beginners should be wary of some challenging pistes. It is a snow-sure ski resort, with an unusually long season, generally opening for skiing at the start of October and remaining open until the end of May.

It's also a major summer resort, with many activities available both at village level and on the mountain. The lift system operates throughout the year, allowing a wide range of walking and cycling trails to be available even to the more fitness-challenged visitor.

In recent years, Engelberg has become something of an off-piste mecca, with many winter visitors, particularly from Scandinavia, coming specifically for its many challenging descents. Many of these are accessible from the lift-served ski areas of Titlis or Jochpass, on the predominantly North-facing slopes leading down from Mt Titlis.

On the opposite side of the valley, the ski area of Brunni is much more suitable for beginners and early intermediates, but being South-facing it doesn't have quite the same snow reliability and length of season.

Engelberg also hosts a round of the ski jumping world cup.

The main sights of Engelberg are: Mount Titlis, Mount "Hahnen", Engelberg Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in the Swiss Congregation, the museum of the valley, the hotel Europäischer Hof, a number of old chapels.

Demographics

Engelberg has a population (as of ) of . , 21.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 7.1%. Most of the population () speaks German (88.2%), with Serbo-Croatian being second most common ( 2.5%) and English being third ( 2.2%). the gender distribution of the population was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. there are 1,650 households in Engelberg.

In the 2007 election the most popular party was the SVP which received 37.4% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were a variety of other parties (not major) (28.6%), the CVP (22.7%) and the SPS (11.3%).

The age distribution of the population () is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 26.2% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 58.3% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 15.4%. The entire Swiss population is generally well educated. In Engelberg about 65.5% of the population (between age 25-64) have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education (either University or a Fachhochschule).

The historical population is given in the following table:

year	population
1709	678
1799	1,468
1850	1,737
1900	1,973
1950	2,544
2000	3,544

Business and industry

There are 320 local businesses which employ 1700 people. 11% of these are in the agricultural sector, 14% in trade and industry, 75% in services.

Engelberg has an unemployment rate of 1.22%. , there were 176 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 65 businesses involved in this sector. 227 people are employed in the secondary sector and there are 36 businesses in this sector. 1,295 people are employed in the tertiary sector, with 186 businesses in this sector.

Due to the risks of filming in the disputed region of Kashmir, many Bollywood films requiring a Kashmir/snowy mountain setting are filmed in Engelberg.

Cultural references

Engelberg is mentioned in chapter XXIV of Henry James's 1875 novel Roderick Hudson.

Weather

Engelberg has an average of 157.9 days of rain per year and on average receives of precipitation. The wettest month is August during which time Engelberg receives an average of of precipitation. During this month there is precipitation for an average of 14.7 days. The month with the most days of precipitation is June, with an average of 16.1, but with only of precipitation. The driest month of the year is February with an average of of precipitation over 14.7 days.

References

External links

• Engelberg Tourism
• Free Pictures Engelberg
• Titlis Glacier
• Great Skiing & Snowboarding Guide
• Brunni area

category:Engelberg category:Municipalities of Obwalden category:Ski areas and resorts in Switzerland

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