Engelberg_Magazin_No_15

Prägende Gestalten der Dorfge- schichte: Theresia Waser (1831– 1919), das sogenannte «Post-The- resli», verdankte ihre Bekanntheit dem langjährigen Botendienst. Joseph Alois Amstutz (1822–1901), auch «Eibei-Plazi» (Einbein-Plazi) genannt, verlor sein linkes Bein während des Sonderbundskriegs 1847 (Stiftsarchiv Engelberg).

Well-known figures in vil- lage history: Theresia Waser (1831–1919), nicknamed “Post Theresli”, she gained renown as the village’s long-serving post- woman; Joseph Alois Amstutz (1822–1901), also called “one- legged Plazi”, lost his left leg in the Sonderbund War of 1847 (Engelberg Abbey archives)

Visionen eines künftigen Engel- berg: Pläne und Skizzen aus Armin Meilis Studie von 1945. Beach- tenswert die Lage des Bahnhofs und der Parkplätze, aber auch die grosse Kurzone, die parallele Dorfstrasse und die Verkehrs- führung in den Oberberg und die Schwand. Eine jugendliche Vision heute: Wohnen, reisen und aus- wärts essen um 2065 in den Augen von Kilian Hirschi (12 Jahre). Visions of Engelberg in the future: Plans and sketches from Armin Meili’s 1945 study. The locations of the railway station and the car parks are notewor- thy, as are the large resort area, the parallel village road and the traffic routing to Oberberg and Schwand. A vision from today’s youth: Living, travelling and eating out in 2065, as conceived by Kilian Hirschi (aged 12)

As in 1915 and 1965, Engelberg will again ce­ lebrate its affiliation with the Canton of Obwal­ den in 2015. Why is this anniversary still a momentous occasion? And what is the meaning of the upcoming festivities? In a bid to answer these questions, Engelberg’s municipal council has commissioned a commemorative bicenten­ nial publication. The book inv ites readers to ref lec t on Engelberg’s relationship to Obwa lden and the neighbouring canton Nidwa lden, prov iding loca ls and v isitors with a deeper understand-

Obwa lden since 1815. Engelberg natives have signif icantly inf luenced canton politics, and many ser ved in Unterwa lden’s now def unc t 47 th Infantr y Bat ta lion. Other contributions are dedicated to economic and inf rastruc tura l developments over the last two centuries, such as the ex tension of the main road to Engelberg, and the transformation of the v illage and the A lpine env ironment. The histor y of tourism is brought to life in depic tions of the evolution of the hospita lity industr y, cableways and winter spor ts in Engelberg. Some tex ts a lso

ing of Engelberg’s histor y since 1815. However, it is not a collec tion of historica l fac ts, but a literar y and pic toria l work for a broad yet discerning audience.

illuminate aspec ts of loca l socia l and cu ltura l life, such as Engelberg’s relationship to Saint Nicholas of Flüe, scholarships f rom Engel- berg Abbey for children of Obwa lden and Nidwa lden

This jubilee publication shows that no single narrative exists when it comes to relating the story and history of Engelberg.

Twenty-one specia lists contributed to the bicentennia l publication – a ll in some way connec ted to the Engelberg and Sarnen va lleys, making it a bona-f ide joint venture of the Unterwa lden communities. The ar ticles cover a wide range of topics per tain- ing to economic, socia l, politica l and cu ltura l life, and the contributions by various authors a llows the book to capture the inherent ambi- guity of historica l events. A conscious ef for t was made to avoid glossing over the var y- ing interpretations: this jubilee publication shows that no single narrative ex ists when it comes to relating the stor y of Engelberg. Thus, the events of 1814/15 are described f rom the perspec tives of the Swiss Confederation and the people of Obwa lden and Nidwa lden and through the experiences of ordinar y folk. A look at the anniversar y celebrations of 1915 and 1965 illustrate how Engelberg’s unif ication with Obwa lden was interpreted in retrospec t. The book a lso shows how the men and women of Engelberg have ser ved the Canton of

to at tend the Stif tsschu le, and the care of the poor and ill. A glimpse at traditiona l liv ing styles, Engelberg’s ar t histor y and Carniva l complete this sec tion. In its conclusion, the book takes a look at Engelberg now and in the f uture. Schoolchildren present their musings on how our v illage will look in the year 2065, creating ver y power f u l conceptions of the f uture. Of course, we will not be able to verif y whether these expec tations are f u lf illed until we compile our nex t anniversar y publication… The intention of combining the fa- miliar and the unusua l is a lso ref lec ted in the image selec tion. Well-known images are used when they prov ide the most in- sight, but the editors endeavoured to accom- pany the ar ticles with lesser-known pho- tographs. The book is rich ly illustrated and of fers end less hours of perusing pleasure.

14

15

inside

inside