Through the land of the pioneers

At Konolfingen station, the tall factory chimney of the “Siedi” (milk processing factory) is the first thing that catches your eye. It symbolizes the pioneering spirit here around 1900. The Berneralpen Milk Company, which has belonged to the Nestlé Group since 1971, gained worldwide recognition for its products (e.g., Stalden chocolate cream). It also promoted the merger of the two municipalities Gysenstein and Stalden into the today’s municipality of Konolfingen. Go through the underpass to Kreuzplatz and then to the nearby church. On the way to Stalden stands the birthplace of the great writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt. A plaque on the house wall points this out. The expanse of the Konolfingermoos, crossed by the Chise, was once a lake, dammed by a moraine ridge in the valley toward Oberdiessbach. At that time, the stream still flowed towards Münsingen. In the old village part of Stalden, turn uphill and climb to the houses at Hubel. The forest detours around the height of the Locheberg to the west. Upon exiting the southern forest edge, a magnificent mountain panorama delights. On the high plain of Rüteli, you can enjoy a short rest on the bench under the mighty oak. The view of the farming village Häutligen, surrounded by stately orchards, and the wide Aare valley is beautiful. The place name goes back to an Alemannic settler named Hutilo. If you could hike as the crow flies, the destination would be reached in three-quarters of an hour. However, the marked path adapts to the topographical conditions, descends in wide loops to the trail crossroads in Fellimoos (45 minutes to Oberdiessbach), crosses the slope below the Wiftrech forest, gains the height of Lerchenberg at the edge of a pronounced hollow, and steeply descends over the terrace edge to Oberwichtrach, which you reach near the church. The two Wichtrach have already been sharing the S-Bahn station and often follow the same administrative path. So why shouldn't they merge? At express train speed, the previously independent municipalities Ober- and Niederwichtrach moved from the idea to action: surveys in 1998 and 1999 showed that the population was not opposed to a closer connection. The fusion process began in summer 2000 and was completed on January 1, 2004. With this, the two communities take on a pioneering role in the canton of Bern, as there had been no such process in the Bernese region for 30 years. Crossing half of the wide valley floor, you reach the Wichtrach train station.