Linden combines local history with opportunities for cycling, hiking and winter sports. When choosing accommodation, it is worth considering your planned activities too: guided mountain bike tours and local cycling routes, walks and cross-country skiing and downhill skiing each offer a different focus. Linden’s history can be discovered in more than one place, and is reflected in several buildings and traditions.
Schlegwegbad and historical traces
Schlegwegbad was first mentioned in official records in 1538. Bathing culture there reached its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries. This made bathing and drinking cures affordable for people from the general population as well, and they were considered one of the first forms of holiday in the area. The spring at Schlegweg, whose water had a high iron content, was valued for its reputed healing properties. The new spa hotel at Schlegwegbad opened in 1910 and had 120 guest beds.
The Jassbach Mill is also documented at an early date: it was first mentioned in official records in 1531. The water power of the Jassbach was put to use early on by the Jassbach sawmill. The Birmes farmstead cluster includes two imposing farms dating from around 1800. Their small farmhouses and granaries form a continuous rural streetscape. The old part of Linden also includes the chalet-style building of the agricultural cooperative, notable for its elaborate carvings.
A more recent part of the village’s history is its own anthem, which Linden received in 1991 to mark Switzerland’s 700th anniversary. A motocross event is still held every summer at the oil drilling site. You can check the specific event dates before your trip.
Cycling routes, woodland and hiking views
Those wishing to go mountain biking can join a guided tour in Linden. Cyclists can also ride local cycling routes at their own pace. This gives you two different ways to cycle: a guided tour and routes you can explore independently. The municipality of Linden’s Vita-Parcours is in Chrützholzwald, between Jassbach and Heimenschwand.
Hikes in Linden offer views of the mountains. The “Distant Views and Summit Panorama in the Pre-Alps” route passes over Schafegg. A description published in 2021 notes that from the highest point you can see across the Mittelland to the Jura Heights, the green hills of the Emmental and the rocky Alpine peaks. There is also the circular hike “From Linden to the Ringgis Mountain Restaurant”: it is 10.9 kilometres long, takes 3 hours and 30 minutes, and leads from Linden via the Ringgis Mountain Restaurant and back to the starting point, with 282 metres of ascent and descent. Trail conditions and access may vary by season; check the situation before setting out.
Linden has numerous fire pits and picnic spots for a break outdoors. Most are located at the edges of forests and offer views of the mountains and surrounding landscape. You can choose to focus on a hike, a cycling tour or a break at one of the designated spots, without combining the different activities into a single route.
Winter: skiing and cross-country skiing
When there is enough snow, you can go skiing in Linden. The ski area has a 400-metre-long children’s lift, as well as Lift I, which is 760 metres long with a vertical drop of 140 metres, and Lift II, which is 1,000 metres long with a vertical drop of 180 metres. Lift II is therefore 240 metres longer than Lift I, and its stated vertical drop is 40 metres greater. The Snow Valley Linden ski school offers ski lessons for children and adults. Lessons are available seasonally.
There are two cross-country ski trails, each 7 kilometres long: one for classic skiing and one for skating. Both start and finish at the ski lift car park. The difference between the two options is therefore the skiing style, not the stated length. Free parking is available at the ski lift’s base station; as parking arrangements can change, check before you travel.
Getting to Linden
STI bus route 44 connects Oberdiessbach, Linden and Heimenschwand. To reach the ski area, take the train to Oberdiessbach station and then the PostBus to Linden Dorf. Timetables can change; check the connection for your travel date. This lets you plan your journey and activities together, without assuming a particular length of stay or a set itinerary.
Discover more destinations: Konolfingen, OberhĂĽnigen, Kiesen, MĂĽnsingen, Worb, Aeschlen, Wichtrach, Oberdiessbach
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