Visiting the Hanghaus(s) using Google Earth

With the Hanghaus - or Hanghaus(s) - being where it all began for those of us in love with the sounds of the Hang, and HandPan, and having not been fortunate enough to this date to visit this singing-steel Mecca in person - we decided to take a virtual tour of these “hallowed grounds” using the power of Google Earth.

And it did not take long to find it...



This small wooden building between the trees, and by the side of a river, is the birth-place of the Hang.  And while PANArt have since moved to larger premises, this, even now, is where we still picture Felix and Sabina hammering away.  

However, times change, and as mentioned above, PANArt have since relocated to larger premises...



Which, while not as quaint, and picturesque looking as the original Hanghaus, is actually only a very short trek down the street, on the other side of the road from the original wooden Hanghaus.  

* As a point of note, we're not 100% sure as to exactly when PANArt moved into the newer larger premises, but, we do know that it must have been at some point towards the end of the building of first generation Hang, as the address for PANArt found on the stickers placed inside early Hanghang changes towards the end of the first generations.  For example, the address inside Hang number 2845 is for the original Hanghaus, while the address found inside Hang number 3955, is for the newer premises.

Want to take the virtual tour yourself?  Simply load up Google Earth, and then tap in the following two addresses:

* Original Hanghaus: Engehalden Street 134, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
* PANArt's newer premises: Engehalden Street 131, 3012 Bern, Switzerland

And go exploring.


* In case anybody is wondering, "Hangruhe" as seen on the sign at the end of the above video, refers to when the Hang Makers set aside the winter season each year as a quiet regenerative time when they can research and develop their instruments. 

(!) PANArt are known to not be appreciative of those who turn up in person, without having first been invited.

© HandPans Magazine