Meiringen, in the Bernese Oberland
Orts dialect Meiringe or an der Gasse is a place in the
Verwaltungskreis Interlaken-Oberhasli in the Swiss canton of Bern.
Meiringen is located in the eastern Bernese Oberland, in Haslital on the upper reaches of the Aare, which flows west to Lake Brienz. The town lies at the foot of various passes that allow transitions over the surrounding mountain ranges: in the east of the Sustenpass in the canton of Uri, in the southeast of Grimselpass in the canton of Valais and in the northwest of the Brünigpass in the canton of Obwalden. Through the Reichenbachtal leads a transition over the pass Grosse Scheideggnach Grindelwald, but is closed to private car traffic.
Meiringen is bordered to the east by the municipalities of Hasliberg, Innertkirchen and Schattenhalb, to the west by the communities of Brienzwiler, Brienz and Grindelwald and to the north by the municipality of Lungern in the canton of Obwalden.
The municipality consists of the villages Meiringen (north of the Aare), Balm and Unterheid / Unterbach (south of the Aare), Hausen (direction Brünigpass), Brünigen, Brünigpass, fence, the Wilerli, the Prasti, the Brünigerälpeli, the Alps Breitenboden, Isetwald , Wandel and Wirzen, Schönbühl and the Schwarzwaldalp, 12.2 kilometers from Meiringen.
The name Meiringen is mentioned for the first time in 1201, as it is by a Petrus de Megeringendie. The origin of the place name can not be determined due to its comparatively late Erstbezeugung not sure. It could be formed from the Old High German personal name Megiherund the place name ending -ingun, which would mean «with the people, with the clan of the Megiher».
In Meiringen in 1879 and 1891 there were two big village fires.