Erlenbach in the Simmental offers two distinct ways to spend your time: in the village, the historic centre, Agensteinhaus and St Michael’s Church introduce you to the area’s architecture and history; in the Stockhorn region, mountain trails and activities that vary with the seasons take centre stage. When planning, it is worth distinguishing between the historic sights in the village and the trails and conditions on the mountain.
Historic Centre and Simmental Building Culture
The protected historic centre lies below the Romanesque church. At least on the east side of the Wildenbach, it was built after the village fire of 1765. Reconstruction began in 1766 and shaped the village during a heyday of Simmental architecture, making Erlenbach a model settlement.
Agensteinhaus stands just below the village square and was built after the fire. It is a late-18th-century farmhouse in the Simmental style, which combines post-and-beam and log construction. The museum in the house features permanent exhibitions on carpentry, horse and livestock breeding, alpine farming, prehistory, traditional crafts and weaving. These topics offer insight into different aspects of local architectural and economic history, rather than focusing on a single craft.
St Michael’s Church and Its Wall Paintings
The present-day Romanesque church replaced a large stone-built place of worship in the 11th or early 12th century. Its late Gothic wall paintings are more than 500 years old. The nave walls feature a rare cycle of images depicting the medieval Christian doctrine of salvation. Traces of the earlier murals were rediscovered in 1901 after almost four hundred years and later restored. The west wall bears a monumental figure of St Christopher dating from 1420.
The church is generally open and can be visited independently almost any time. Check the latest visitor information before your visit. This lets you plan a visit to the church as a cultural attraction in its own right, while Agensteinhaus and its permanent exhibitions offer a different focus.
Village Trails and the Simmental House Trail
The existing themed trail runs through Grossdorf and Kleindorf and provides information about Erlenbach’s history and houses. Along the way, a barbecue area in Steiniwald is a place to picnic and play. The Simmental House Trail covers a wider area: it runs from Wimmis via Erlenbach, Därstetten-Weissenburg and Oberwil to Boltigen. Most of the route avoids roads and brings Simmental carpentry to life. Agensteinhaus is part of this trail.
Stockhorn: Trails and Views
The Stockhorn cable car links Erlenbach to the 2,190-metre Stockhorn summit in two sections and operates year-round. Check seasonal operating information before travelling. From Erlenbach railway station, it takes less than ten minutes to walk to the signposted valley station.
The Stockhorn region offers everything from challenging mountain hikes to leisurely strolls. The Stockhorn Panorama Trail is a three- to four-hour hike. It leads from the mountain station via Stockenfeld to Oberstockenalp and offers views of more than 200 mountain peaks. A shorter hike is the Alpine Flower Trail, which runs from the mountain station to Stockhorn; over the course of the year, more than 100 different flowers can be observed in their natural habitats. Which flowers are in bloom depends on the season.
The routes to the two mountain lakes are also quite different: Hinterstockensee is a five-minute walk from Chrindi, and the path is well suited to families and children. Oberstockensee is a 40-minute walk from the Chrindi middle station. Trail conditions may vary. The panoramic viewing platform on Stockhorn is easily accessible to wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments and families with pushchairs. The wheelchair-accessible “No Limits Lake – Circular Trail” goes around Hinterstockensee.
Seasonal Activities and Nature
A quiz trail with ten stations runs along the “No Limits Lake – Circular Trail”. Children can learn about flora and fauna through play, as well as climb, slide and balance. Check seasonal availability before your visit. Throughout the year, the Stockhorn region caters to different interests: observing nature on the Alpine Flower Trail, enjoying activities by the lake or discovering the world of plants and animals through play.
In winter, when the ice is in good condition, Hinterstockensee is prepared for ice skating. Prepared winter walking trails run around the frozen lake; the area also has four snowshoe trails of varying difficulty. A signposted easy trail runs from the Chrindi middle station to Oberstockenalp and back. Check current trail preparation and conditions before setting out.
Fishing is possible in the mountain lakes Hinterstockensee and Oberstockensee, whose waters are rich in rainbow trout. The fishing permit for the Stockhorn region is available only at the Stockhorn cable car’s valley station in conjunction with a cable car journey, and allows a catch of no more than six fish. Check the regulations in force before travelling. The Brünnlisau nature reserve is also part of the landscape: it encompasses a section of the Simme River that runs through the municipalities of Diemtigen, Erlenbach in the Simmental and Wimmis. Brünnlisau is a floodplain of national importance.
Discover more destinations: Weissenburg, Niederstocken, Horboden, Oey, Spiez, Wimmis, Därstetten, Diemtigen.
For the broader travel overview: Niedersimmental.
