ThunerseeChristian Helmle

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c� Der Thunersee vom Niesengipfel aus Thunersee seen from the peak of the Niesen

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Wie ein Gemsjäger

Lesestücke zu Christian Helmles See- und Sehstücken

Konrad Tobler

Es ist ein Wagnis. Es ist ein Wagnis, Bilder vom Thunersee zu machen. Der Thuner Fotograf Christian Helmle hat das Wag-nis gewagt. Und ich wage es, über das Wagnis zu schrei ben, das besteht, wenn es um das Schreiben über Bilder geht, die es wagen, den Thunersee zu zeigen – und zwar so, wie er nicht bekannt ist. Um das Unbekannte zu erkennen, ist es notwendig, sich zuerst einmal über manch Bekanntes Gedanken zu machen, zusammenzutragen, was andernorts teils bereits zusammengetragen worden ist. So ist dieser Text eigentlich nichts anderes als eine Materialsammlung, die \WT�8KGNHCNV�WPF�8KGNUGKVKIMGKV�FGT�(QVQITCƂGP�XQP�%JTKUVKCP�Helmle hinzuführen versucht.

Das Munitionslager Die Thunersee-Gegend ist Naturland-schaft, selbstverständlich vermessene: Der See ist 17,5 Kilo-meter lang und maximal 3,5 Kilometer breit. Seine Fläche

beträgt 47,69 Quadratkilometer. Die maximale Tiefe beträgt 217 Meter. Und seit 2011 wird rund um den Thunersee ein 56 Kilometer langer Panorama-Wanderweg mit mehreren grossen Hängebrücken angelegt: Eroberung oder, milder, Erschliessung der Natur, um mit Sicherheit jene Bilder zu generieren, die wir im Kopf haben. In erster Linie haben wir diese Gegend eben als Naturlandschaft im Kopf und vor den Augen. Gerade weil die Thunersee-Gegend als Na-turlandschaft gesehen wird, spiegelt der Begriff der Natur eine kulturelle Kategorie: Die Thunersee-Gegend ist Kultur-landschaft par excellence. Manches davon ist sichtbar: die Städtchen und Dörfer, die Schlösser und Kirchen, die Stras-sen und Tunnels, die Eisenbahnlinien und die Bergbahnen, die Schifffahrt, die Rebberge, die Lawinenverbauungen, die Weiden, der Armeeübungsplatz. Manches ist verborgener, wie die Panzersperren und die getarnten Bunker oder die

„Die besonders gegen Thun hin sehr freundlichen Ufer sind mit Dörfern und Landhäusern bekränzt; über den klaren Wasserspiegel und waldgekrönte Vorberge hinaus erhebt sich der Blick zu den majestätischen Hochgebirgen des Oberlandes und des Wallis.“

Allgemeine deutsche Real-Encyklopädie für die gebildeten Stände. Conversations-Lexikon.Leipzig (Brockhaus) 1855

c� Thun-Schadau. Sigriswiler Grat, Niederhorn und die Alpen Thun-Schadau. Sigriswiler Grat, Niederhorn and the Alps

1918

there dwelt two honest poor people, a man and his wife. Tired and faint, the dwarf leaned on his staff and crept up to their house where he humbly rapped three times at the little window. Immeiately the old shepherd opened the door for him and cheerfully offered him what little the house afford-ed. The old woman produced some bread, milk, and cheese: the dwarf sipped a few drops of the milk, and ate some crumbs of the bread and cheese. “I am not used,” he said, laughing, “to eat such coarse food: but I thank you from my heart, and may God reward you for it; now that I am rested, I will proceed on farther.” “God forbid!” cried the good woman; “you surely don’t think of going out in the night and in the storm! It would be better for you to take a bed here, and set out in the daylight.” But the dwarf shook his head, and with a smile replied, “You know little of what business I have to do this night on the top of the mountain. I have to provide for you too; and tomorrow you shall see that I am not ungrateful for the kindness you have shown to me.” So, saying this, the Dwarf departed and the worthy old couple went to rest. But at break of day they were awaked D[�UVQTO�CPF�VGORGUV��VJG�NKIJVPKPI�ƃCUJGF�VJTQWIJQWV�VJG�red sky, and torrents of water poured down the hills and through the valley. A huge rock now tumbled from the top of the mountain, and rolled down toward the village, carry-ing in its course along with it trees, stones, and earth. Men and cattle, every living and breathing thing in the village was buried beneath it. The waves had now reached the cottage of the two old people, and in terror and dismay they stood out before their door. They then beheld in the middle of the stream a large piece of rock approaching, and on it, jump-ing merrily, was the dwarf, as if he were riding and steering it with a great trunk of a pine till he brought it before the house, where it stemmed the water and kept it from enter-ing the cottage, so that both the good owners and their cottage escaped destruction. The dwarf then swelled and grew higher and higher till he became a monstrous giant, and vanished into thin air while the old people prayed to God, thanking him for their deliverance.”This little legend offers an indirect indication of the rugged nature that also characterises the topography of the Thun-ersee, and of the geological unrest that has inhabited these unquiet masses of rocks for millennia.

Soul Landscape�1PG�RGTUQP�YJQ�YKUJGF�VQ�ƂPF�RGCEG�QP�the Thunersee was possessed by a similar state of unrest. His name was Heinrich von Kleist, and he left the restless city of Paris to travel to Thun via Basel and Bern. He was astonished to discover that Switzerland in 1802 was, in po-litical terms, far from peaceful. At the time, Thun was still the capital of the canton of Oberland. In his luggage, and within his mind, Kleist brought with him the writings of

The Dwarf and Ovid A quick journey through the recur-ring appearances of the Niesenthroughout a long cultural history tradition:������6JG�ƂTUV�OGPVKQP�QH�VJG�0KGUGP�KP�C�FQEWOGPV��KV�KU�TG-ferred to as “a Yesen,” derived from Enzian [gentian] (Gen-tiane–jensana–Jiese–Niese–Niesen). ������#P�CEEQWPV�QH� VJG�0KGUGP�CPF� KVU�ƃQTC�D[�$GPFKEJV�Marti, a.k.a. Benediktus Aretius. 1567–1577: A map by the Bern city doctor Thomas Schoepf HGCVWTGU�VJG�ƂTUV�!��TGRTGUGPVCVKQP�QH�VJG�0KGUGP��1605: Thun pastor Johann Rudolf Rebmann composes a 14,200-verse poem on the subject of the Niesen and the Stockhorn dining together. 1733: Bern naturalist Albrecht von Haller climbs the Niesen during his fourth Alpine journey.1774–1778: Caspar Wolf creates his now-famous Alpine views for the Wagner’sches Kabinett in Bern. 1788: The Bern professor Georg Tralles determines the height of the Niesen from the level of the Thunersee at 7,340.5 feet, or 2,408 meters. 1805: An account by Bern pastor and folksong composer Gottlieb Jakob Kuhn of his journeys on foot on the Niesen. 1825: The German poet August von Platen embarks on hunting trips in the Niesen region and composes the poem “An die Diana des Niesens,” or “To the Diana of the Niesen.” 1910: The Niesenbahn railway opens on the 15th of July. 1998: An exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Thun [the Thun Art Museum]: “Der Niesen–Ein Berg in der bildenden Kunst” [“The Niesen: A Mountain in Visual Art”]. 2001–2002: The Berghaus Niesen is renovated and expand-ed by Bern architects Aebi & Vincent. This project is a good example of contemporary architecture in the Alps, moving beyond the chalet style.As everyone knows, however, there is more to the Thuner-see landscape than just the Niesen. It is also the backdrop for drama and not always idyllic. One such tragedy is men-tioned by Jacob Grimm in his Deutsche Mythologie (1835) in EQPPGEVKQP�YKVJ�ETGCVKQP�CPF�RTKOGXCN�ƃQQF�O[VJU��*G�NKPMU�the Thunersee with Ovid’s Metamorphoses,or, to be precise, with the tale of Philemon and Baucis.The legend goes as follows: “This story is told of two places … Ralligen, a little village on the lake of Thun … and again, of Schillingsdorf, a place in the valley of Grinderwald, pre-viously destroyed by a landslide. One night, during a tre-mendous storm of wind and rain, a dwarf came travelling through a little village and went from cottage to cottage, dripping with rain and knocking on doors to be let in. None took pity on him however, and no one would open the door to receive him; it was quite the contrary, the inhabitants even mocked him in his distress. At the very end of the village

c� Morgenstimmung in Einigen Dawn in Einigen

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f� Morgenstimmung im Gwatt Dawn in the Gwatt

d� Einigen. Schreckhorn

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c� Das Justistal mit Niederhorn und Sigriswiler Grat Justistal with Niederhorn and Sigriswiler Grat

d� Das Karrenfeld mit Seefeld und Berner Alpen The Karrenfeld with Seefeld and Bernese Alps

cc�Der Thunersee vom Niederhorn aus Thunersee seen from Niederhorn

c� Blick von Beatenberg gegen den Niesen View of the Niesen from Beatenberg

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f� Das Nebelmeer über dem Bödeli. Eiger, Mönch und Jungfrau The sea of fog above the Bödeli. Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau

d� Vorsass Beatenberg. Nebel über dem See, Stockhornkette Vorsass Beatenberg. Fog above the lake, Stockhornkette

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cc��&KG�4CRRGPƃWJ�bei Oberhofen The 4CRRGPƃWJ�PGCT�1DGTJQHGP

e� �Schwarzenegg. Zulgschlucht c� �0GDGNCWƃÒUWPI�am Obersee

Dissipating fog at the Obersee

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Impressum

© 2016 by jovis Verlag GmbHDas Copyright für den Text liegt bei Konrad Tobler.Das Copyright für die Abbildungen liegt bei Christian Helmle.Text by kind permission of Konrad Tobler.Pictures by kind permission of Christan Helmle.

Alle Rechte vorbehalten.All rights reserved.

Umschlagmotiv Cover: Der Thunersee vom Niederhorn ausThunersee seen from Niederhorn

Übersetzung Translation: Alison Kirkland, Ashford (UK)Englisches Lektorat English editing: Justin Ross, BerlinGestaltung und Satz Design and setting: jovis: Susanne Rösler, Berlin.KVJQITCƂG�Lithography: Bild1Druck, BerlinDruck und Bindung Printing and binding: DZS GRAFIK d.o.o., Ljubljana

$KDNKQITCƂUEJG�+PHQTOCVKQP�FGT�&GWVUEJGP�NationalbibliothekDie Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese 2WDNKMCVKQP�KP�FGT�&GWVUEJGP�0CVKQPCNDKDNKQITCƂG��FGVCKNNKGTVG�DKDNKQITCƂUEJG�&CVGP�UKPF�KO�+PVGTPGV�ØDGT�http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar.Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche NationalbibliothekThe Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the &GWVUEJG�0CVKQPCNDKDNKQITCƂG��FGVCKNGF�DKDNKQITCRJKE�FCVC�are available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de

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jovis-Bücher sind weltweit im ausgewählten Buchhandel erhältlich. Informationen zu unserem internationalen Vertrieb erhalten Sie von Ihrem Buchhändler oder unter www.jovis.de.jovis books are available worldwide in selected bookstores. Please contact your nearest bookseller or visit www.jovis.de for information concerning your local distribution.

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Dr. Jon und Rosmarie Keller-Jäggin, ThunHelmle AG, ThunGemeindeverband Thuner AmtsanzeigerKanton BernStadt Thun)GOGKPFG�*KNVGTƂPIGP�Gemeinde BeatenbergGemeinde OberhofenViva Thunersee, ThunDie Mobiliar, BernMeyer Burger Technology AG, ThunBrügger Architekten AG, ThunAEK Bank 1826, ThunAnnette Wirth, ThunVerkehrsbetriebe STI AG, ThunParkhaus Thun AG

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Marlene HelmleMichael StreunRaffaella ChiaraJohannes SaurerWilfried und Anne-Gabrielle von GuntenChristof, Martin und Heidi HelmleUrs DolderMarkus CaveltiDaniel SchneebeliHansjörg und Verena SchneiderLukas und Rebecca Wahlich

Konrad Tobler (*1956), Studium der Germanistik und Philosophie.1992 bis 2006 Kulturredaktor der Berner Zeitung.Seit 2007 selbständiger Autor.

Buchpublikationen (Auswahl):- mit Christian Helmle: Weiße Elefanten. jovis Verlag- *QFNGT��5VCWHHGT��9ÒNƃK��'KPG�$GTPGT�2CTCNNGNIGUEJKEJVG�

Scheidegger & Spiess��-WPUVOQPQITCƂGP�WPVGT�CPFGTGO�\W�)WPVGT�(TGPV\GN��

Christian Grogg, Alois Moosbacher, Christine Streuli, Wolfgang Zät, Martin Ziegelmüller.

In Vorbereitung:- Frank Geiser, Architekt. Das Werk 1955–2010.

Scheidegger & Spiesswww.konradtobler.ch

Konrad Tobler (*1956) studied German literature and philosophy.From 1992 to 2006, he was cultural editor of the Berner Zeitung.He has worked as an independent culture journalist and author since 2007.

Selected book publications:- with Christian Helmle: Weiße Elefanten. jovis Verlag- *QFNGT��5VCWHHGT��9ÒNƃK��'KPG�$GTPGT�2CTCNNGNIGUEJKEJVG.

Scheidegger & Spiess- art monographs on artists including Gunter Frentzel,

Christian Grogg, Alois Moosbacher, Christine Streuli, Wolfgang Zät, Martin Ziegelmüller

Under development:- Frank Geiser, Architekt. Das Werk 1955–2010.

Scheidegger & Spiesswww.konradtobler.ch

Christian Helmle, 1952 geborenSeit 1982 freischaffender Fotograf.Arbeitet heute vorzugsweise an Langzeitprojekten.Eidgenössisches Stipendium (1987), Fotopreis der Stadt Thun (1999), Fotopreis des Kantons Bern (2006)Artist in residence in Kairo (1993), Tunis (2000) und Berlin (2005).Ausstellungen in der Schweiz, Kairo, Tunis, Berlin, Bangladesch.2WDNKMCVKQPGP�|Karrenfeld, report Verlag, 2000Zum Beispiel Thun, Ott Verlag, 2003Weiße Elefanten, jovis Verlag 2007Autofriedhof�|'FKVKQPU�,QTFK������Waterpower, jovis Verlag, 2012www.christianhelmle.ch

Christian Helmle (*1956) works as a freelance photographer since 1982; today, he prefers working on long-term projects.Awards: Eidgenössisches Stipendium (1987), Fotopreis der Stadt Thun (1999), Fotopreis des Kantons Bern (2006).Artist in residence in Cairo (1993), Tunis (2000) and Berlin (2005).Exhibitions in Switzerland, Cairo, Tunis, Berlin, and Bangladesh.2WDNKECVKQPU�|Karrenfeld, report Verlag, 2000Zum Beispiel Thun, Ott Verlag, 2003White Elephants, jovis Verlag, 2007Autofriedhof, Editions Jordi, 2008Waterpower, jovis Verlag, 2012www.christianhelmle.ch