Sarnen

The White Book of Sarnen (Weisses Buch von Sarnen) is the most important medieval manuscript from the Obwalden chancellery, compiled in 1470/1471 by Hans Schriber, the cantonal secretary of Obwalden. Named for its white pigskin binding, it contains 258 pages: 77 documents in the first part and a 25-page chronicle that includes the oldest surviving written accounts of the Ruetlischwur, the Burgenbruch (destruction of Habsburg castles), and the deeds of William Tell. The Tell narrative was part of a legal argument composed in response to the Reichsacht of 1469. Long believed lost, the book was accidentally rediscovered in 1856. It is preserved in the Staatsarchiv Obwalden, housed in the Hexenturm.

The Landsgemeinde was one of the oldest and simplest forms of direct democracy in Switzerland, an annual open-air assembly where all eligible citizens gathered to vote by raising hands or ceremonial swords. Practiced in Obwalden from the late 13th century, it was the highest political authority in the canton. In 1646, the Canton of Obwalden designated the Landenberg hilltop as the permanent meeting place, where the assembly met for over 350 years. The sword tradition required showing a ceremonial sword as proof of citizenship and the right to vote. Obwalden abolished its Landsgemeinde on 29 November 1998 by secret ballot. Today only Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus still practice this tradition.

Niklaus von Fluee (Brother Klaus), born in 1417 in Flueeli near Sachseln, was a farmer, military captain, judge, and councillor who at age 50 left his family with their blessing to become a hermit in the Ranft gorge. He lived there for 19-20 years, reportedly subsisting on nothing but the Eucharist and water. On 22 December 1481, as the Swiss Confederation nearly tore itself apart over the division of spoils after the Burgundian Wars, the parish priest of Stans carried a message from Brother Klaus to the assembled delegates. The exact content is unknown, but it urged moderation and unity. The result was the Stanser Verkommnis, which saved the Confederation from dissolution and admitted Fribourg and Solothurn. He was canonized in 1947 as the patron saint of Switzerland.

The Hexenturm (Witch Tower) in Sarnen is a stone tower dating to 1285/1286, built as the residence tower for the von Kellner family, knights in service to Murbach Abbey. Its stone walls are up to 1.36 meters thick and it is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. By the 15th century, it was repurposed as a prison for Canton Obwalden. During the 17th-century witch hunts, the tower held accused witches awaiting trial. Switzerland experienced approximately 10,000 witch trials between 1429 and 1731, with about 60% of the accused being executed; 70-80% of victims were women. Today the Hexenturm houses the Staatsarchiv Obwalden, including the White Book of Sarnen.

The Bruenig Pass (1,008 m) connects Obwalden to the Bernese Oberland. Historical records date to 1304, when contracts were signed between Obwalden and Oberhasli governing right-of-way and protection of the pass road. The Sbrinz Route was a historic trade route from Lucerne via the Bruenig to Meiringen, then over the Grimsel and Gries passes into Lombardy, named after Sbrinz cheese transported by mule trains. In 1339, central Swiss warriors marched over the Bruenig to the Battle of Laupen. Sarnen prospered as a trading centre along these routes. The modern road was built starting in 1857, and the cog-wheel railway was inaugurated in 1888. The mule-train trade disappeared after the Gotthard Railway opened in 1882.

The Aelplerchilbi (Alpine Herdsmen's Fair) is a centuries-old harvest festival in Obwalden, celebrated for more than 400 years on the third Sunday of October. Highlights include the appearance of Hude and Laesi, two wild, unruly pagan characters representing ancient pre-Christian mountain inhabitants who helped early migrant farmers and were invited to the fair by way of thanks. In the afternoon, Hude and Laesi recite coded rhyming verses on the school yard square, exposing the sins and follies of villagers from the past year in humorous, disguised form. The tradition is listed as a living cultural heritage of Switzerland.

Lake Sarnen (Sarnersee) lies at the heart of Obwalden, approximately 5.7 km long and 1.6 km wide, with a maximum depth of 51 meters. At the end of the last Ice Age, Lake Sarnen was contiguous with Lake Lucerne until alluvial fan deltas gradually separated them. The lake is the subject of a watercolour by J. M. W. Turner, 'The Sarner See, Evening' (c. 1842), evidence of the lake's renown among 19th-century Romantic travellers. Until 1880, the Grosse Melchaa river ran through Sarnen village; after a devastating flood in 1831, the river was redirected between 1878 and 1880 to flow directly into Lake Sarnen, a major engineering project that reshaped the town.

The Haus am Grund is the most imposing manorial residence in Sarnen's town centre, with stone foundations dating to 1286 and the main structure built in 1588-1589 for Marquard Imfeld. It features a 1607 mural depicting Niklaus Imfeld. The Imfeld dynasty dominated Sarnen's political life for generations: between 1548 and 1699, nine Imfeld family members served as Landammann (chief magistrate) for a combined 43 years, amassing wealth through the mercenary business of recruiting troops for French and Spanish service. The Cantonal Rathaus (Town Hall), a Baroque masterpiece built 1729-1731 by Lucerne stonemason Hans Georg Urban, features a magnificent frontage and domed clock tower.