Brunnen, part of the municipality of Ingenbohl in Canton Schwyz, lies on the shore of the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne) on its eastern branch, the Urnersee, at the foot of the Bürgenstock and Gotthard massif. Its central location makes it the ideal starting point for many excursions.

Brunnen is in the middle of William Tell country, nestling between Urmiberg and Fronalpstock and opposite Rütli and Schillerstein. This resort is accessible by the Gotthard Railway, bus, motorway and boat and has a small cableway to the Urmiberg, an eastern foothill of the Rigi peak. The Axenstrasse is secured by galleries through the steep rock face along the eastern shore of the Urnersee and has connected Brunnen and Flüelen since 1865.

Brunnen was popular with royalty in the 19th century: King Ludwig II of Bavaria, an avid admirer of Schiller’s William Tell, visited in 1865. He liked to be rowed out to the middle of the lake at midnight to listen to nocturnal alphorn playing. Schiller himself, Goethe, Spitteler and other literary greats also visited Brunnen.

The town and surrounding areas have a rich historic symbolism: the Bundeskapelle chapel, built in 1635 and boasting a valuable altar painting by the Rubens pupil Justus van Egmont is named after the founding document of the Swiss Confederation, the Bundesbrief. It was drafted in Brunnen in 1315 after the Swiss victory over the Habsburgs at the Battle of Morgarten. Brunnen was for centuries an important transit port for the trade route over the Gotthard Pass.


SUMMER


The fjord-like Urnersee has many water sports activities. Popular excursions in the area include the Rigi and Bürgenstock peaks, the Muothal with the Hölloch cave, Treib-Seelisberg, the Fronalpstock peak, the animal park at Goldau and the towns of Schwyz and Altdorf. There are hotels and a wide range of sport and spa activities at Morschach, a sunny terrace above Brunnen. Hikers can take the «Weg der Schweiz» (Swiss Path), a trail circuiting the Urnersee. This joint project of the Swiss cantons begins at the Rütli Meadow, birthplace of the Swiss Confederation, and ends at Brunnen. Mountain bikers can take the 40 kilometre long trail round the Mythen peaks.


WINTER


Brunnen is 30 minutes from the winter sports regions of Stoos-Fronalpstock, Mythen, Satten-Hochstuckli and Rigi, with a combined total of 40 lift installations and 80 kilometres of runs. The region also has winter hiking trails, cross-country ski runs and sledge runs.

Highlights

• Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne) – one of the largest and most interesting Swiss lakes with a sizeable fleet of historic steamships and modern motor ships.
• Swiss Holiday Park – offers a wide range of bathing and spa activities at the small resort of Morschach above Brunnen.
• Rütli – meadow of historical and symbolic significance. Birthplace of the Swiss Confederation. This is where the three cantons of Unterwalden, Uri and Schwyz made their pact to resist all kinds of foreign rule.
• Tellskapelle – chapel where Schiller’s Tell dived out of Gessler’s boat. Nearby is the largest glockenspiel in Switzerland: 38 bells play 20 melodies.
• Schwyz – Federal Archive with important historical documents and pretty old town.