Hans Jakob Hauswirth (1809 - 1871) was the first to create the Saanen silhouette with black paper on a white background. Today, a number of regional artists have developed into silhouette specialists. Each has their own style - but they are all united by their love of detail. The various motifs can now also be found on cups, plates, cars and even as tattoos. Silhouettes can be bought in the Hausweberei-Heimatwerk in Saanen, in the «Cadenöli» in Gstaad and in the Heimatwerk Zweisimmen. The Restaurant Hüsy in Blankenburg has its own gallery and exhibits historical and contemporary silhouettes throughout the year. The «Swiss Centre for paper cutting» opened its doors in Château-d'Oex in 2022. Here, the history of paper cutting is impressively told and shown.

The Raaflaub family from Grund produced the first Saanen sledges for the winter of 1920/1921. From 1968, Walter Raaflaub took over this craft from his father and built countless sledges until his 91st birthday. Now it is mainly Andreas Kolly and Mathias von Siebenthal, together with Patric Seewer, who produce the somewhat deeper and wider Saanen wooden sledges. While Andreas Kolly's sledges are original Saanen sledges, Mathias and Patric use plastic runners (instead of iron) to improve gliding properties.

Contacts of the two manufacturers: wissiflueh@gmx.ch (von Siebenthal Mathias) and andreas.kolly@bluewin.ch

The village of Saanen, the historical heart of the Saanenland, owes its unique character to its narrow streets and lanes, lined with old timber houses . The Church of Saint Maurice, dating back to the 15th century is also an impressive building. Tradition, a rich heritage of craftsmanship, and history all lend the village its particular charm.

For this purpose, we offer an audio guide tour with 28 stops through the history and architecture of the historically significant chalet village of Saanen.