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The name of Sherlock Holmes continues to inspire thousands of people around the world, thanks to the timeless adventures born from the pen of the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And when we think of the detective, our mind immediately flies to the atmosphere of foggy London at the end of the 800th century. But not everyone knows that, in reality, at the end of his investigative career he also left traces of himself in Switzerland.
Sherlock Holmes, the waterfalls where he died
Well yes, when Conan Doyle decided to end the life of his most successful character, he chose a decidedly exceptional setting. Having just returned from a trip to the heart of Switzerland, where he was struck by the breathtaking views, he led his Sherlock Holmes right here in the most demanding challenge, the one to destroy his enemy Moriarty. And even today we remember the village of Meiringen like the place where the investigator met his death, throwing himself into foaming waterfalls wrapped around his nemesis.
The small village is located in the Oberland region, nestled among the Bernese Alps which offer a fairytale landscape. It's impossible not to fall in love with the splendid nature that surrounds it, the lush woods that climb between the mountains and the green pastures besieged by rich flocks. The main attraction is undoubtedly the cascata Reichenbach, a series of thunderous dives that crash between the rocks, in a dream setting. It originates from the Rychenbach stream, in the stretch preceding its union with the Aare river.
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To be able to admire theincredible power of nature, it is possible to take advantage of the modern convenience of the funicular, which leads to the summit of the waterfall, 250 meters high. Up here, according to what was narrated by the writer Arthur Conan Doyle, his hero found himself fighting his last battle. A star hanging between the rocks marks the exact point where the final battle would have occurred, thus leaving that our imagination takes flight in front of a breathtaking view.
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Meiringen, the Swiss village of Sherlock Holmes
But the beautiful Reichenbach waterfall is not the only place that recalls Sherlock Holmes, in this small corner of Switzerland. The entire village of Meiringen is dotted with small and large tributes to the most famous investigator ever to exist in literature. The most suggestive is the Sherlock Holmes Museum, inaugurated in 1991 (which marks the centenary of his death) in the basement of the small English church located in the historic center of the town. Inside, many splendid memorabilia cited in the works of Conan Doyle, and beyond.
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Although the museum is really small, there is a wonderful (very detailed) reconstruction of the Victorian living room in which Sherlock Holmes and his trusty Watson spent many hours busy solving their mysteries. And in an instant it seems to really be at 221B Baker Street, where it all took place. Outside the church, however, you can admire a beautiful life-size bronze statue of the investigator. There is no shortage of small details such as the characteristic hat worn by Holmes and his inseparable pipe. And there's more: tiny figures are engraved on the statue, each taking us back to one of the 60 stories that had Sherlock as the protagonist. A journey into mystery that starts here.
Source: 123RF | Ph. zhukovsky
