The series “Crash Landing on You”, which can be seen in Germany on Netflix, should only mean something to a few European viewers. In South Korea, on the other hand, the domestic production from 2019 was very popular, and the series received several awards. It is about the story of a South Korean heiress who accidentally crosses the border into North Korea while paragliding and falls in love with an officer in the North.
A jetty on a lake, on which the officer plays a piano piece in memory of his deceased brother, plays a rather minor role at first glance. A scene that touched many viewers – apparently not only because of its content, but also because of the picturesque surroundings. And so, South Korean fans of the series flock to the jetty where the sequence was filmed. Namely to Switzerland.
The filming location was the small federal village of Iseltwald in the canton of Bern. Only about 400 people live there. Due to the footbridge on Lake Brienz, framed by the mountain landscape, Iseltwald has unexpectedly become a kind of pilgrimage site for series fans. As Swiss media reports, South Korean tourists have been flocking to the village for months to admire the scenery and take selfies there.
The residents are a little proud that their village has unexpectedly achieved such fame in such a distant country. But the rush also puts the place to the test. “They hardly buy anything in the village shop, but leave a lot of rubbish on the bank,” a resident complained to SRF last year. So the locals don’t get much from the numerous visitors – apart from annoyance and stress.
That’s why Iseltwald takes action: access to the jetty is blocked by a turnstile, and anyone who wants to go to the location has to pay. Five francs are due for the selfie, the equivalent of five euros, reports the Swiss newspaper Blick. Using the toilet also costs one franc. 400,000 tourists a year recently came to Iseltwald – the number could possibly be reduced in the future as a result of the measures. And if not, the village at least makes money from it.
Sources: SRF / “Blick”
