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The municipality of Engelberg is an exclave of Obwalden, surrounded by the cantons of Bern, Nidwalden and Uri. Engelberg has a population (as of 31 December 2015) of 4,097. As of 2007, 21.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.
Engelberg is the leading mountain resort (Urner Alps) in central Switzerland. In the Middle Ages, Engelberg was known through the country for the educational quality of its Benedictine monastery, the Engelberg Abbey. From the 19th Century, Engelberg became internationally known as a resort and spa, but is today visited as much for skiing as for its clean air. With its combination of modern sports facilities and alpine location, Engelberg is a magnet for both summer and winter tourism. The closest large cities are Lucerne and Zurich.
The ski terrain is largely for advanced skiers, and although there are some easy places to ski, beginners should be wary of some challenging pistes. It is a snow-sure ski resort, with an unusually long season, generally opening for skiing at the start of October and remaining open until the end of May.
It's also a major summer resort, with many activities available both at village level and on the mountain. The lift system operates throughout the year, allowing a wide range of walking and cycling trails to be available even to the more fitness-challenged visitor.
In recent years, Engelberg has become something of an off-piste mecca, with many winter visitors, particularly from Scandinavia, coming specifically for its many challenging descents. Many of these are accessible from the lift-served ski areas of Titlis or Joch Pass, on the predominantly North-facing slopes leading down from Mt Titlis.
On the opposite side of the valley, the ski area of Brunni is much more suitable for beginners and early intermediates, but being South-facing it doesn't have quite the same snow reliability and length of season.
Engelberg also hosts a round of the ski jumping world cup at Gross-Titlis-Schanze.
The main sights of Engelberg are: Mount Titlis, Mount "Hahnen", Engelberg Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in the Swiss Congregation, the museum of the valley, the hotel Europäischer Hof, a number of old chapels.
Many Indian tour groups come to Engelberg, and claims are often made of an association with Bollywood movies, citing Engelberg as a filming location, even going so far as having a cutout poster of the two main characters from a well-loved 1995 production Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge on the terrace at the top lift station of Klein Titlis, but this appears to be untrue, as other Swiss locations are cited in the films credits.
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