Haslital

The tradition-imbued, Bernese Oberland holiday resort of Meiringen lies in the Hasli valley, south east of Lake Brienz. Sherlock Holmes met his maker here – only to be resurrected again several years later. In actual fact, Meiringen-Hasliberg almost offers the unbelievable – and not only in respect of its most famous fictional hero.

Many attractions are associated with the icy glacier waters from the nearby mountains; the Aare gorge for example has been hewn into rock by the flow of glacier water over millions of years. A walking platform leads through the gorge between the horizontal, scarped rock faces, just above the turbulent waters. Another wild glacier gorge with a boldly constructed footpath in the romantic Rosenlaui valley is certainly also worth a visit.

A nostalgic funicular leads up to the mighty, tumbling Reichenbach Falls; the smaller, lower waterfalls can already be admired during the ascent. The viewing terrace of the mountain station affords an excellent view of the flooding waters of the 120-metre-high «Upper Reichenbach Falls».

In the murder mystery «The final problem», the master detective Sherlock Holmes is supposed to have plunged into the depths here to meet his end. The English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was fond of spending his holidays in Meiringen; a museum and memorial here are dedicated to the author and his famous fictional sleuth. Because Holmes’ readers didn’t want to accept this death, Doyle was forced to allow him to «bob up» again three years later.

The drawn out Hasliberg panoramic sun terrace – also a part of the Haslital – can be reached from Meiringen via a cableway, or by the Brünigbahn and post bus. The Haslital has been awarded the «Families Welcome» quality mark and offers children’s entertainment, child care facilities, toy libraries etc.