Introduction
Municipality in Bern, SwitzerlandMeiringenMunicipality
FlagCoat of armsLocation of MeiringenMeiringenShow map of SwitzerlandMeiringenShow map of Canton of BernCoordinates: 46°43′39″N 8°11′14″E / 46.72750°N 8.18722°E / 46.72750; 8.18722CountrySwitzerlandCantonBernDistrictInterlaken-OberhasliGovernment • ExecutiveGemeinderat with 7 members • MayorGemeindepräsident(in)Daniel Studer SPS/PSS(as of 2026)Area • Total40.7 km2 (15.7 sq mi)Elevation595 m (1,952 ft)Population (December 2020) • Total4,666 • Density115/km2 (297/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)Postal code3860SFOS number785ISO 3166 codeCH-BESurrounded byBrienz, Brienzwiler, Grindelwald, Hasliberg, Innertkirchen, Lungern (OW), SchattenhalbWebsitewww.meiringen.ch
Meiringen (Swiss Standard German pronunciation: [ˈmaɪrɪŋən]) is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Besides the village of Meiringen, the municipality includes the settlements of Balm, Brünigen, Eisenbolgen, Hausen, Prasti, Sand, Stein, Unterbach, Unterheidon, Wylerli and Zaun. The municipal coat of arms shows a black eagle in a yellow field. ("Or an Eagle displayed Sable crowned, beaked, langued and membered of the first.")
Formerly the coat of arms of the entire Oberhasli Talschaft, this design continues the imperial coat of arms.
Meiringen is famous for the nearby Reichenbach Falls, a waterfall that was the setting for the final showdown between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty. The village is also known for its claim to have been the place where meringue was first created.
Geography
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Statue of Holmes and the English Church
Meiringen is located in the eastern Bernese Oberland region, in a valley of the upper reaches of the river Aare, called Haslital, upstream of Lake Brienz. It lies at the foot of several mountain passes, including the Brünig Pass to the valley of the Sarner Aa and hence central Switzerland, the Joch Pass to Engelberg, the Susten Pass to the upper valley of the Reuss, the Grimsel Pass to the valley of the Rhone and hence southern Switzerland, and the Grosse Scheidegg Pass to Grindelwald.
On the right bank of the Aare, the municipality of Meiringen rises from an elevation of 600 m (2,000 ft) on the valley floor to the Brünig Pass at 1,008 m (3,307 ft) and beyond that to a point at 1,375 m (4,511 ft) on the slopes of the Wilerhorn. On the left bank it stretches up into the Alps and reaches an elevation of 3,191 m (10,469 ft) at the summit of the Wellhorn. It includes the village of Meiringen and the settlements of Sand, Stein, Eisenbolgen, Hausen, Balm, Unterbach and Unterheidon in the valley, the village of Brünigen in the Brünig Pass and the hamlets of Prasti, Zaun and Wylerli on the slopes above the valley.
The municipality has an area, as of 2009[update], of 40.59 square kilometers (15.67 sq mi). Of this area, 17.75 km2 (6.85 sq mi) or 43.7% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.27 km2 (5.12 sq mi) or 32.7% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 3.04 km2 (1.17 sq mi) or 7.5% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.53 km2 (0.20 sq mi) or 1.3% is either rivers or lakes and 6.09 km2 (2.35 sq mi) or 15.0% is unproductive land.
Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 3.1% and transportation infrastructure made up 3.3%. Out of the forested land, 29.7% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 3.3% is used for growing crops and 17.8% is pastures and 22.5% is used for alpine pastures. All the water in the municipality is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 5.6% is unproductive vegetation and 9.4% is too rocky for vegetation.
