Stechelberg

Stechelberg () is a small village in Switzerland located at the base of the Schwarzmönch mountain in the Bernese Alps, part of the district of Lauterbrunnen.

==History== The name "Stächelbärg" is first recorded in 1749 to describe this part of the valley. Stechelberg was primarily utilised for iron ore mining and smelting, with facilities at Sichellauenen and Trachsellauenen. A painting of 1790 by Johann Niklaus Schie showed that the latter facility comprised 18 gallery roofs, and a widely deforested area. In 1805 Hans Conrad Escher, a civil engineer and geologist from Zurich (builder of the Linth Canal) was tasked by the Bernese government with evaluating the productivity of the plant. Based on his assessment, mining was officially suspended, although the mine continued to be operated on a smaller scale by locals until around 1860. Since then, reforestation programmes have largely restored the area around the village, which has been declared a protected natural area.