Obwalden, Sarnen and Sachseln, (geographical) centre of Switzerland, in the middle of Europe

27 June 2024

Sarnen is the main town and capital (Hauptort) of canton Obwalden. The village lies on the shores of Lake Sarnen (Sarnersee), which in turn is connected to Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee). Together with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Lucerne, Zug and Nidwalden, Obwalden is part of the so-called Innerschweiz.

Together with Nidwalden (under the name Unterwalden), Uri and Schwyz, Obwalden is a founding member of the Eidgenossenschaft, named after the oath on the Rütli (1291) on the shores of the Urnersee (a part of Lake Lucerne). This oath ratified the alliance between these three Orte. A new alliance was signed in 1315, just after the first victory over Habsburg in 1315 (Morgarten).

Centre of Sarnen

Sarnen is small in size but, like Stans, has the appearance of a town. A square with monumental buildings, several remarkable (public) buildings, a relatively large museum and (dissolved) monasteries testify to a rich (Roman Catholic) life and an interesting history.

The Monastery St. Andrea

The Benedictine monastery St. Andrea for nuns was founded in 1120 in Engelberg, together with the Benedictine monastery Engelberg for monks. However, the monastery St. Andrea, also a place of pilgrimage (Wallfahrtsort Sarner Jesuskind), moved to Sarnen in 1615. Both monasteries will jointly celebrate their 900th anniversary in 2020.

The St. Martinskirche (1966) is an icon in church building history and architecture. It resembles Le Corbusier’s pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp (Alsace) and the St. Nicholas in Hérémence from the same period.

The Älggialp in the canton is not only the geographical centre of Switzerland. The small town of Sarnen in the small canton of Obwalden shows again that Switzerland is at the centre of Europe and an integral part of European history.

Indeed, the St. Martinskirche belongs to the Benedictine monastery Muri-Gries in Bozen (Italy). It stands next to the so-called Professorenheim, the complex’s main building. The Kollegium Sarnen, a former Jesuit Latin school, belongs also to the organisation.

Muri (Canton Aargau) derives from the Benedictine monastery Muri, which was dissolved in 1841. The monks sought refuge in Sarnen and the Benedictine monastery Engelberg.

The abbot of the dissolved Muri monastery, founded by Habsburgs in the 11th century, contacted the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I (1793-1875) and his chancellor Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859) to take up residence in the abandoned Benedictine monastery of Gries.

Indeed, the monks moved to Gries in 1845, but the monastery remained formally attached to the Swiss order of Benedictines. The former Latin Kollegium of Jesuits even became a Benedictine Kollegium.

Austrian Bozen became Bolzano after 1919, and ties with Switzerland remained complicated until 1945.

Landenberg Castle (11th century), completely renovated in the years 1711-1752, was the former site of the Landsgemeinde (abolished in 1998) and a Zeughaus (armory)

Apart from a museum, an impressive village square and other (public) buildings, Sarnen is also the gateway to Sachseln, the last resting place and museum dedicated to Bruder Klaus.

Sachseln, in addition to its location on the Sarnersee lake and mountain scenery, offers various cultural and historical attractions. Moreover, the birthplace and residence of the ‘Father of the Fatherland’ Bruder Klaus are just a few kilometres away.