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“Stockhorn
Habitats” Discovery Path
(open: June - October)
Learn about animals, read sagas, listening to the whistling
of birds...
Introduction
Newly opened in 2003, the Discovery Path consists of 16 stops
along the circular path around the two Stockhorn lakes: through
fun interactive activities visitors learn more about the complexity
of the Stockhorn habitat:
The Mountain Eco-System
The undisturbed environment: Earth, Water, Air
Animal and plant life
People in the Stockhorn region
and their mutual dependency.
A 70-page accompanying booklet provides in-depth background
information on each theme. The brochure
and the accompanying
booklet are available from the Stockhorn cable car station. |
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Stop 1:
The two entrances (the
main entrance beside Chrindi middle station and the Oberstockenalp
entrance) welcome you to the discovery path and give you a birds-eye
panoramic view over the Stockhorn habitat.
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Stop
2: Under our feet, in the soil
of the habitat, countless small animals lie hidden. Their
activity ultimately ensures our own food supply. You can discover
here how the thin but important layer of soil in the mountains
is formed and what dangers threaten it.
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3: At this post, the development of the many karst
formations in the Stockhorn region is explained. The
relationship between the underground rocks and the appearance
of the landscape can be easily understood by looking at the
surroundings with the help of a geological map. |
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Stop
4: The saga cabin offers
a cosy place for a pause. Inside you can read sagas from the
Simmental region and enter the world of the early mountain dwellers.
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5: Who’s that whistling? The birds
of the Stockhorn region live in various habitats, from valley
to summit regions, and can be distinguished by a rich variety
of song. Which voice belongs to which type of bird? |
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6: The formation of the Alps and their rocks. The turn-table
relates the history of the formation of mountains and rocks
in words and pictures. At the stone sorting point you can learn
to recognise different rocks, and examine and handle them. |
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7: The animals of the
mountain regions must perform athletic feats, in order to survive
in this hostile environment. You can do the same as them with
the animal long jump and the chamois steep track. Unfortunately,
flying is not available here, but you can at least learn how
the birds do it! |
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8: The blazing colours and rich variety of
Alpine flora are visually striking, and the smells are
every bit as delightful. Guess the origin of the four Alpine
scents, and learn the connection between flowers, animals and
rocks. |
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9: Their social organisation, their industriousness and
the many roles they perform in the eco-system make ants
a fascinating species of insect. This post is mobile –
it may be found at another point on the path,as ants sometimes
move their nest. |
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10: The lakes: The Hinterstockensee
and the Oberstockensee are among the greatest natural attractions
in the Stockhorn region. What goes on under the surface of the
water is normally hidden from us, but here you can glance into
this secret realm. |
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11: Why is it colder and damper the further you climb
up the mountains? All your weather questions are answered here! |
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12: The forest is important for the mountain regions,
preventing natural catastrophes such as rockfalls and avalanches.
The wooden xylophone provides
an acoustic approach to the theme. How do different varieties
of tree from different habitats sound? Compose your own wooden
melody! |
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13: At Vorderstocken you can see the Simmental and the
Diemtigtal, which have been inhabited and built upon for hundreds
of years. Here you will learn how man
cultivated the natural landscape and how traditional
Alpine agriculture then developed. |
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14: Natural living and learning:
Only when you sit down,rest and take in the landscape peacefully,
or even close your eyes and doze a little, do you really experience
nature’s powers of relaxation. Relaxation is important
in our stressful society, and if you enjoy nature you will also
learn to love and respect it.
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15: We often regard the Alps as
an unspoilt mountain world, but the 21st Century has reached
the Alps and their inhabitants too. The contemporary challenges
concerning the future and the
use of the Alps become clear when
you match the appropriate statement to the model figures representing
the various inhabitants and users of the mountain regions.
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16: The final stop on the discovery path illustrates
the relationships vital to life and the mutual dependencies
of the habitats in the Stockhorn region. On the "Spider’s
Web" you can link up the correct connections between the
living creatures and their undisturbed (or not so undisturbed)
surroundings, as represented at the different stops. |
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