The Appenberg was acquired in 1930 and, following the fire at the Schwendlen Baths, evolved into a tourist destination. After thorough planning and a municipal resolution in 1977, the hotel village took shape step by step. A total of eleven historic buildings were revitalized on the Appenberg; many of them originate from the region and each tells its own unique story. For example, the Stöckli and the Spycher—once the heart of a farmhouse—were carefully relocated and now preserve the charm of the Emmental. The former shooting clubhouse of the municipality of Biglen, the Bowil schoolhouse, and the Truberhaus also found a new home on the Appenberg. The historic Hubelhaus, built in 1777, was relocated due to highway construction, while the Spycher-Grotto and the Schmittli also look back on eventful times. The only new building is the Haghaus, which was constructed between 1996 and 1998 and now towers high above the Bärbachtobel. Thus, the Appenberg combines history, craftsmanship, and regional architecture—and invites visitors to experience the past and present in the heart of the Emmental.

The current Appenberg property was acquired in 1930. The idea to develop Appenberg for tourism arose after the fire at the Schwendlen Baths. After careful planning by the owner family, a rough concept for the Appenberg was developed. On January 14, 1977, the Mirchel municipal assembly approved the zoning plan and the necessary special building regulations.

Following the initial planning phases and initial contacts with funding agencies, eleven buildings slated for demolition were converted or rebuilt for use in the hospitality industry. The last building (Haghaus) was designed and constructed from the ground up between 1996 and 1998.

Many of the houses have already lived a full life and have found a new home on the Appenberg. Two of the outbuildings exude a special Emmental charm: the Stöckli and the Spycher. While the Stöckli traditionally housed the older generation of a farming family—those who had already handed the farm over to their descendants—the Spycher served as the farmhouse’s great treasure trove. It was usually situated somewhat apart from the main house so that it could be saved in the event of a fire. It contained grain, meat, clothing, money, and supplies of cloth and yarn. The farmer’s wife kept many a treasure there, which is why the Spycher can almost be described as the heart of a farmhouse.

At the Schützenhaus, on the other hand, the name says it all: the building is the former shooting range of the municipality of Biglen, which was dismantled there and rebuilt on the Appenberg. Similarly, the former Bowil schoolhouse is another building that is now part of the Appenberg hotel village, having previously served a different purpose not far from there. The Truberhaus was also brought to Appenberg from nearby. This small Emmental farmhouse, built with a post-and-beam frame, originally stood in Luchsmatt in Trub.

The Hubelhaus boasts a particularly long history: It was built as early as 1777 and originally stood in Frauenkappelen. There, however, it had to make way for the construction of the Bern-Murten highway. A similar fate befell the Spycher-Grotto, which had to be demolished at its original location in Worb to make way for a garage. It had previously belonged to the watchmaker Werner Gysi.

The Schmittli, meanwhile, has arguably the most varied history of use. It had already served as a clubhouse in the Oberfeld neighborhood of Langnau before becoming the Nagelschmittli, which was inhabited by “Schmitte-Grittli.” Later, it was even used as a Scout hall until it finally found a new home on the Appenberg.

The Haghaus, which was built between 1996 and 1998 and is the only new building on the property, has a much shorter history. However, thanks to its location high above the Bärbachtobel, the imposing Haghaus blends perfectly into the landscape of the existing Appenberg hotel village.

In the Wochen-Zeitung, Issue No. 18, dated May 4, 2017, Bruno Zürcher explained the origin and meaning of the place name and field name “Appenberg” as follows:

Dr. Appebärg has been called that for over 600 years
Today, there’s a well-known restaurant with a hotel on the Appebärg. I don’t know what people used to do there a few hundred years ago. But one thing is clear: the name “Appebärg” appears in very old documents. Among other places, the town of Oberhünige—which, however, belongs to the municipality of Mirchu on the other side of the valley—is mentioned in a register of the Augustinian Order, compiled around the year 1350. In it, it is written “ze Appemberg.” In another similarly old document, “ze Appenberge” was also recorded—already quite similar to today’s form! Of course, the spelling of the place name hasn’t remained exactly the same over the centuries. In 1597, “Mappenberg” was written in the Signouer Urbar, and “Aeppenberg” appeared in the official accounts from 1701. On the whole, however, the name stuck—even though many didn’t know what the word meant. “Appebärg” simply means “Appo’s mountain.” The area there must have belonged in the Middle Ages to a man by that name.

I’ve heard from locals that “Appebärg” comes from “apere Bärg.” However, the spelling in historical documents doesn’t really suggest a connection to the Old High German word “apar.” Incidentally, the word doesn’t just mean “snow-free” but also dry land with only a thin layer of humus. The fact that this connection to “abere Bärg” is almost certainly incorrect is also shown by the fact that there are generally no place names in that area that refer to the word “aper.” 
The Old High German personal name “Appo” was a short form of, for example, “Adalbert.” The former owner of “Appebärg” may well have had noble ancestry; after all, the first part, “Adal,” simply means “noble.” I haven’t been able to determine exactly who the founder of “Appebärg” was. What is certain, however, is that the place has a long history. 
This fits well with a place that has been “eternal.” In the Bernese land register from 1460, “vff dem eew zun” is recorded. “Eew” means “eternal,” but also “honorable” and “legally valid.” I don’t know exactly where the boundary ran. But it must have been in the bailiwick of Trachsuwaud. Whether the boundary is truly eternal, I don’t know. Whoever built it must have known that the stones would surely start to crumble after a good 550 years!

Sources: “Ortsnamensbuch des Kantons Bern” (Book of Place Names of the Canton of Bern), “Orts- und Flurnamen des Amtes Entlebuch” (Place and Field Names of the Entlebuch District), www.idiotikon.ch, and others.