Hans Brühlmann Circular Route, Station 5

Büel with oldest houses

The oldest traces of settlement directly near the village of Vättis can be found in the striking Büel hills. For a long time, the area of Vättis was at high risk of flooding due to the Tamina stream, and avalanches repeatedly came up to the edge of the village. The Büel, on the other hand, was the only safe place of Vättis for thousands of years, and yet conveniently close to the water, and starting point for all directions. The incision at the middle Büel is still recognisable as an artificial border to the rear Büel: Apparently, a Stone Age culture had already chosen the Vorderbüel as a settlement site and developed it into a 360° comprehensive defence. The oldest known date of a house in Vättis am Büel (Büel 1) is also fitting. Trenches from the French period (1799) recall the Büel as a defensive mound gerufen.In modern times, the Büel became known as a lookout hill and, above all, as a fairground. The St. James' Festival of the Vättis Music Society would be inconceivable without the Büel.