Engelberg has the highest second-home share in canton Obwalden: 55.9 % of all dwellings are second homes. Next come Lungern (18.9 %) and Kerns (16.3 %). At 20 % or above, the Second Homes Act bars any new second-home permits. Source: ARE.
Ranking
ARE · 2026Dwelling inventory and second-home share 2026 · ARE, retrieved 11.09.2026
How we measure this
AREShare of second homes in a municipality’s total dwelling stock, in percent, from the dwelling inventory of the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), as of 2026. The Second Homes Act (ZWG) bars new second-home permits in municipalities whose share is 20 % or more. Whether a municipality is subject to that freeze is an official ARE determination and does not in every case coincide exactly with the 20 % line; it is shown separately on the municipality page.
Frequently asked questions
- Which municipality in canton Obwalden has the highest second-home share?
- Engelberg: 55.9 % of all dwellings are second homes (2026) — the highest share of any municipality in canton Obwalden. Source: ARE.
- What does the 20 % Second Homes Act limit mean?
- If a municipality’s second-home share is 20 % or more, no new second homes may in principle be built there. Whether the freeze applies is determined officially by the ARE. Around 326 municipalities are currently subject to it.