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Konrad Busslinger | profile | all galleries >> «My SWITZERLAND» >> Aare Gorge // Aareschlucht tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Aare Gorge // Aareschlucht

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The Aare Gorge is a section of the river Aare that carves through a limestone ridge near the town of Meiringen, in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. The gorge is an indirect product of glaciation; 10,000 years ago, just as the Ice Age was coming to an end, torrential runoff water from melting glaciers eroded a deep, narrow chasm through the limestone barrier. Although barely one mile long, this passage is bordered by sheer cliffs up to 165 feet (50 m) high on either side. The gorge varies in width from some 30 metres (98 ft) at its widest to just 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) at its narrowest.[1][2][3]
The gorge is a popular tourist attraction, many visitors attracted by the nearby Reichenbach Falls, which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle selected as the setting for Sherlock Holmes' murder by Professor Moriarty.
Permission to build walking paths along the Gorge was granted in 1887, and the walkway has been open to the public since 1889. From 1912 until 1956, the Meiringen–Reichenbach–Aareschlucht tramway linked the gorge's western entrance to Meiringen; since 1946 the Meiringen-Innertkirchen railway has also served the same purpose. The restaurant and kiosk at the western entrance was first built in 1928 and reconstructed in 1987. In 2003 a station was built on the railway to serve the eastern entrance, along with a suspension bridge to link the station and entrance; a bistro and kiosk was added to this entrance in 2008.[4][5]
The path through the gorge is accessed by entrances at each end of the gorge, where an admission charge is levied. For most of its length the path is a wooden construction on a metal frame cantilevered out from the wall of the gorge, with short stretches in tunnel. The entrances are each linked to stations on the Meiringen-Innertkirchen railway, with Aareschlucht West station at the western end of the gorge, and the underground Aareschlucht Ost station connecting to the eastern entrance.

Die Aareschlucht ist eine Schlucht bei Meiringen im Berner Oberland in der Schweiz. Sie wird von der Aare durchflossen und erhöht deren Fliessgeschwindigkeit erheblich. Die Aare verlässt die Schlucht mit fast 12 km/h.
Ein Kalk-Felsriegel zwischen Innertkirchen und Meiringen, der Kirchet, behinderte den Abfluss der Aare aus dem Grimselgebiet. Das Schmelzwasser unter dem eiszeitlichen Aargletscher kerbte sieben Schluchten in diesen Felsriegel ein. Die heutige Aareschlucht ist die jüngste der verschiedenen Quer- und Längsschluchten. Die Länge der Aareschlucht beträgt 1400 Meter. An ihrer engsten Stelle ist die Schlucht einen Meter breit; die höchste Seitenwand ragt 180 Meter hoch über den Fluss.
Wie aus dem Ortsnamen Innertkirchen schon zu lesen ist, teilt der Felsriegel der Aareschlucht das Tal in Innen und Aussen. Die Hauptstrasse 6 steigt mittels dreier Haarnadelkurven auf der steileren Südseite rund 80 Höhenmeter zum Lammiboden auf 710 Metern, von wo die Strasse in gleichmässigem Gefälle nach Meiringen (602 m) absinkt. Die Schlucht ist von der Strasse nicht zu sehen.
Aare Gorge // Aareschlucht
Aare Gorge // Aareschlucht
Aare Gorge // Aareschlucht
Aare Gorge // Aareschlucht
There is fresh cool water ...
There is fresh cool water ...
Aare Gorge
Aare Gorge
Entrance to the Gorge
Entrance to the Gorge
The gorge at a narrow point
The gorge at a narrow point
Enthusiastic visitors
Enthusiastic visitors
Aare Gorge // Aareschlucht
Aare Gorge // Aareschlucht