Evergreen Lake Lauenen
Lake Lauenen – immortalised in a Swiss folk classic
"I gloub, i gangä no meh a Louenesee". This line is from the 1982 song by the Swiss "mundart" rock band Span, who almost created a classic overnight. You'll struggle to find a Swiss man or woman who cannot sing along to this ballad. Lake Lauenen thus was immortalised in music almost overnight.
Frank Sinatra sings about New York. Falco raps about Vienna. Ella Fitzgerald loves Paris. And the members of Span can't do without their very own Lake Lauenen. But one thing at a time.
Love again...
"I weiss no guet, wo i är Sunnä bi gsässä. Wit äwäg vom Lärm vo dr Stadt. I weiss no guet, wie i ha chönnä vergässä, dert hindä bim Louenesee." The idyllic Lake Lauenen lies in a side valley, 15 km from Gstaad in the midst of a moorland nature reserve. It was to here that Span's guitarist Georges Müller fled in 1981 following an altercation with his girlfriend in their artistic commune.
Idyll inspired the song
"S'het mi packt, i ha gspürt das i gah mues, eifach furt id Rueh vor Natur. Ganz älei mit äm Chopf voll Gedankä, dert hindä bim Louenesee." Alone at the idyllic lakeside, the "shaven" Berne native Georges Müller sings about love and life. With his guitar in his hand, he draws inspiration from his surroundings. And in the process he creates one of the best known Swiss rock ballads: "Louenesee".
Honourd by the community
"Immer wenn i wider dra dänkä, a das Gfüeu denn am Ufer vom See. De merki wie guet dass mir ta het, i gloubä i gangä no meh, ä Louenesee.“ Müller and his band members returned again and again to the magical Lake Lauenen over the following years. With good reason, as singer and bassist Christoph Kohli says in an interview: "it is simply a picture-book mountain lake. Its evening atmosphere is unique. Mountains and trees are reflected on the surface of the water." The municipality of Lauenen honoured Span with a wooden plaque for its merits. And the Berne "mundart" rockers can never perform in concert without including the classic that fans simply can't hear often enough. The words and music are timeless. Just like Lake Lauenen. Yes, "i gloub, i gangä no meh a Louenesee"…I think I might just head to Lake Lauenen."
Above Lake Lauenen
Lake Lauenen is an ideal destination for hikers, nature lovers and romantics alike and is one of the sources of energy in Switzerland. It lies 4 kilometres south of Lauenen at a height of 1,381 m above sea level. Boats are available for hire from the Lauenensee Restaurant. Highlights include the Lake Lauenen circular hike, the wonderful nature reserve and the view across to Dungelschuss waterfall. The lake can be reached by car and has a car park (chargeable). Anyone wishing to travel travel by public transport should take the bus from Gstaad or the Wispile cable car and then walk to the lake.
