ヴァルテルビの洞窟・トップ12

Zwingen Castle is picturesquely situated at the entrance to the Laufental valley. This well-preserved medieval complex once served as an administrative center and customs station. Today, the tower, the ring walls, and the village center define the historic townscape. It is freely accessible and makes a worthwhile stop for hikes along the Birs river and short visits.

The view from the top of the valley is breathtaking, and you can see far and wide. Just the right amount of time before the descent to Delémont.

A short, entertaining visit to the complex before heading straight to Laufen.

Beautiful trail

From the ruins, there are two possible routes to the Balmberg. 1. The old Balmberg road, a fairly steep dirt road. 2. Follow cycle path 44 through forest and paved roads to the top of the pass.

The Balmfluh castle ruins are clearly visible from the trail. It's worth getting off your bike for a moment and taking a look at the old walls.

Biederthal Castle is located above the village of Burg in Leimental. It is privately owned and not open to the public, but it is still an impressive sight from the outside. The large castle complex dominates the village.

For a long time, there was an old paper factory, known as "Papiri" for short, directly behind the castle. It used the water of the Birs. Unimaginable from today's perspective, large parts of the castle complex were demolished and rebuilt to expand the factory. The former factory has now been demolished and a huge playground is being planted in its place. The mighty chimney will remain in the middle of the greenery as a visible reminder of the Papiri. The management buildings have been renovated. The rooms are rented out to commercial enterprises. This means that Zwingen Castle will once again have a more spacious environment and will once again be the focus of the Birs landscape.