Belalp
Origin of the name Belalp
Belalp, at about 2'137 metres above Naters, bears a name whose origin has not been explained.[3]
Founding of Belalp
Belalp lies in the municipality of Naters, at about 2'137 metres, on the northern edge of the main Alpine chain. The resort grew out of an inn: in 1858 Leopold Burcher-Anderledy put up a first wooden building here. Gervas Klingele became a part-owner in 1861, sole owner in 1866, and then had the large stone hotel built. From 1870 to 1890 the hotel had its best years, with more than 80 % English guests in summer. John Tyndall, who called the view from Belalp «the most beautiful in the Alps», had his villa built here. Later, the development of the ski area, between 2'000 and 3'100 metres, made tourism an important economic factor for Naters.[1][2][3]
History of Belalp
1858. Leopold Burcher-Anderledy builds the first inn, of wood.[3]
1861. On 13 August John Tyndall comes to Belalp for the first time, six days before making the first ascent of the Weisshorn. The hotel's visitors' book begins that year.[2][3]
1866. Gervas Klingele becomes sole owner of the hotel and then has the large stone hotel built.[3]
1870-1890. The hotel's most prosperous years, with more than 80 % English guests in summer.[3]
1877. In November Tyndall's villa on the Lusgen alp above Belalp is ready for occupation. He spends his summers there until 1893.[2][3]
1887. Naters makes Tyndall an honorary citizen.[2][3]
1893. John Tyndall stays at Belalp for the last time in September and October. He dies on 4 December at Hindhead.[3]
1911. On 27 August the Tyndall monument is unveiled, a granite block taken from a nearby glacier and raised above the villa by his widow Louisa.[2][3]
1953. The first Blatten-Belalp cable car comes into service (1954 according to another source), with 10-person cabins and a length of 1'780 metres.[4][8]
1964. Sir Richard Proby, nephew of Louisa Tyndall, sells the Villa Lusgen to a Swiss buyer.[3]
1968. After more than a century, the Klingele family hands the hotel over to the family of Therese Jaeger-Eggel.[3]
1972. The first cable car is dismantled and replaced by a new installation.[4]
1978-1980. Private investors build the Tschuggen holiday village between Blatten and Belalp.[1]
1979. The Blatten-Belalp cable car is doubled, with two tracks.[5]
2012. Renovation of the cable car, with 70-person cabins.[5]
Historic sites in Belalp
Hotel Belalp. Large stone hotel built after 1866 by Gervas Klingele in place of the wooden inn of 1858. The outline of the tennis court laid out for English guests can still be seen.[3]
Villa Lusgen. John Tyndall's villa on the Lusgen alp, ready for occupation in November 1877. A chapel dates from the same period.[2][3]
John Tyndall monument. Granite block raised above the Villa Lusgen by Louisa Tyndall and unveiled on 27 August 1911.[2][3]
Ski area. The ski area extends from 2'000 to 3'100 metres. From Blatten, the 1'767-metre cable car climbs to Belalp.[1][5]
Sources
- Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, « Naters » (Anton Riva, version du 04.01.2017)
- Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, « Tyndall, John » (Bernard Truffer, version du 07.01.2014)
- Trevor Braham, « John Tyndall and Belalp », Alpine Journal, 1993, p. 195-198
- Bergbahnen.org, base de données, « Blatten-Belalp » (téléphérique de 1954)
- Bergbahnen.org, base de données, « 80-LPB Blatten-Belalp »
- Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
- geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (coordonnées)
- Office fédéral de la culture, ISOS (Inventaire fédéral des sites construits à protéger en Suisse), « Blatten (Naters) », n° 4821 (2e version, 05.1996)
Other villages near Belalp
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