Innertkirchen

Innertkirchen
View of Innertkirchen from the river Aare
Coat of arms
Innertkirchen
Location of Innertkirchen
Coordinates: 46°42′N 8°14′E / 46.700°N 8.233°E / 46.700; 8.233Coordinates: 46°42′N 8°14′E / 46.700°N 8.233°E / 46.700; 8.233
Country	Switzerland
Canton	Bern
District	Interlaken-Oberhasli
Area
• Total	236.54 km2 (91.33 sq mi)
Elevation	625 m (2,051 ft)
Population (Dec 2015)
• Total	1,047
• Density	4.4/km2 (11/sq mi)
Postal code	3862-63
SFOS number	0784
Surrounded by	Engelberg (OW), Gadmen, Grindelwald, Guttannen, Hasliberg, Kerns (OW), Meiringen, Schattenhalb, Wolfenschiessen (NW)
Website	www.innertkirchen.ch SFSO statistics

Innertkirchen is a village and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2014 the former municipality of Gadmen merged into the municipality of Innertkirchen.

The name of the municipality is of recent origin and first appeared in print in 1834. It was formed from the farming settlements (Bäuerten) of Grund, Bottigen, Wyler-Schattseite, Wyler-Sonnseite and the agricultural cooperative of Äppigen.

Both Roman coins and the remains of a Roman rest station have been found in the municipality. During the Middle Ages a number of small farming communities developed in the high valleys and alpine meadows of the modern municipality. Originally they were under the authority of the Imperial Vogtei of Hasli, which was acquired by Bern in 1334. Under Bernese rule, a number of distant landowners ruled over the small communities. At around the same time they became part of the parish of Meiringen. In 1713 the communities of Innertkirchen united with the municipalities of Gadmen and Guttannen to form the parish of Hasle. When Gadmen and Guttannen became independent parishes in 1816, Innertkirchen rejoined Meiringen. A filial church was built in Grund in 1835 and in 1860 it became the center of the Innertkirchen parish.

After 1334 the communities banded together into Bäuerten to share and regulate usage of the seasonal alpine meadows and farm land. Beginning in the 15th century the Bäuerten often squabbled with neighboring communities and Engelberg Abbey over land rights and the borders between municipalities. The border between Bern and Unterwalden was not officially set until 1828-29. Until the 20th century, the villages economies relied on seasonal alpine herding to raise horses, cattle and to produce cheese as well as trade over the Grimsel Pass, the Susten Pass and the local Joch Pass. An iron mine, blast furnace and forge were built in Wyler in the 16th century. It remained in operation until the 19th century.