Unterseen Old Town and Tourismuseum

Unterseen is the medieval town on the left bank of the Aare river, directly beside Interlaken in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It was founded around 1280 and received town rights, giving it a civic history that predates the modern resort next door. The old town is organised around the Obere Gasse and the market square, where timber and plastered houses with steep roofs and flower-decked windows line the lanes. Many buildings date from rebuilding after fires in earlier centuries, and the compact street plan still reflects the medieval layout beside the river. The Unterseen church and the riverside bridges add to the character of the quarter. The Tourismuseum at Obere Gasse 26, housed in a historic building in the old town, presents the history of tourism in Switzerland and the Bernese Oberland. Its exhibits trace how travellers arrived in the region from the 18th century onward, when writers, painters and aristocrats began to visit the lakes and mountains, through to the Belle Epoque hotel boom and the later arrival of mountain railways. The museum uses period objects, posters, photographs and travel equipment arranged thematically rather than as a single chronological sequence, and the small scale allows a full visit in a short time. Because it is a modest local museum it is open on a seasonal schedule, from 1 March to 23 November 2026, Wednesday to Sunday afternoons from 2:00PM to 5:00PM, and admission is about CHF 8. Beyond the museum, the lanes themselves are free to explore at any time. The old town has been maintained as a lived-in quarter with shops, cafés and homes rather than a reconstructed heritage site, so the state of preservation is good but practical. Unterseen sits a short walk from Interlaken West and Ost stations along the river, and a visit pairs well with a walk along the Aare toward the lakes. It offers a quieter counterpart to the busy Höheweg and helps explain the older history underlying Interlaken's resort image.