As a mountainous region, the swiss alps have been exposed to the forces of nature for over 15 Million years. No surprise there are many spectacular rock formations, like the Aare Gorge, a 1.5 km long gorge close to Meiringen in the Bernese Highlands. With up to 200m of cliffs and only 1 meter at the most narrow point, the gorge is also home of the famous “Tatzelwurm”, a kind of small dragon. In 1935, the “Berliner illustrierte Zeitung” published a feature on this creature. The phantastic animal already reported in 1814 by the Samuel Studer, a scientist from Bern: “From Unterseen up to Grimsel and towards Gadmen, people believe that a type of snake with an almost round head and short feet can be seen at present.” Many tales tell that this snake, known as a “Tatzelwurm”, lives in the Aare Gorge. One woman who lived in Innertkirchen in the century before last tells: “As my father was collecting hazelnut sticks on the Kirchet, he saw all at once a thick worm with thick stumpy feet, a large mouth with pointy teeth and evil looking eyes coming towards him. When the monster began to make whistling noises, my father ran home as fast as he could… ” Fortunately, this time, I missed this frightening creature. Instead I was inspired by the colourful rocks, plants and water along the turquoise coloured river and could take some time for pictures.
Special Thanks to Eveline Sturzenegger, who invited me for this trip. Source: aareschlucht.ch
Mountains are quite masters and make silent students
Johan Wolfgang von Goethe
