Planalp, Alpine settlement in Brienz, Switzerland

Planalp is a small alpine settlement on the southern side of Brienzer Rothorn at roughly 1341 meters high. The place offers views across Lake Brienz and the surrounding mountains of the central Alps.

The Planalp was probably cleared as pasture by valley dwellers as early as the Gallo-Roman period, between the last pre-Christian and the fifth post-Christian century; some field names near Brienz are traced to Romance roots. The Walser settlement, also called Husstatt, was later inhabited year-round. After large avalanches descended from the Tanngrindel to Brienz in the winters of 1942 and 1943, extensive avalanche barriers were built.

The hamlet is also called Husstatt, and the surname Abplanalp ("from the Planalp") comes from a legend that an avalanche destroyed the settlement between 1000 and 1100, leaving only a baby in a cradle found floating on Lake Brienz. Two spots recall a raid by Obwaldners: the Mordsstiie at Mitlesten and the Mordbode below the Brienzer Rothorn.

In summer the Brienz-Rothorn-Bahn stops at the intermediate station Planalp on its way to the Brienzer Rothorn, and it is contractually obliged to serve several Alpstafel. A natural road leads from the valley up to the alp area but is permitted only for four-wheel-drive vehicles. Several footpaths and hiking trails also reach the area, the Brienzer Rothorn and the Chruterenpass.

The name Abplanalp, common in the region, comes from a legend: a settlement was said to be destroyed by an avalanche between 1000 and 1100, and the only survivor, a baby found floating in its cradle on Lake Brienz, was given the surname meaning "down from the Planalp".