ViaJura
Overview
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Distance 14 km
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Duration 3 h 20 min
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Ascent 130 m
Intro
An easy hike along river banks from the city centre through the southern suburbs, always alongside water. From the Rhine along the Basler Dalbedych, a medieval industrial canal, to the Birs, never leaving its banks until Aesch.
Description
The hike starts at Basel railway station and takes about 20 minutes, passing Aeschengraben and St. Alban-Anlage to St. Albanteich. The name is deceiving, because the pond is actually an artificially created water canal dating back to the 12th century, which used to serve local businesses and trades. Its water power was used for grain mills, sawmills, hammer mills or fulling mills, with which wool was felted by machine.
Continue for about 30 minutes along the old industrial canal. On the opposite side, chestnut trees and grazing deer catch the eye. Then comes a change of scenery. After a pedestrian and cycling underpass, you suddenly find yourself in front of St. Jakob Park, or "Joggeli", as the people of Basel call it. The Joggeli is home to FC Basel and Switzerland's largest football stadium. It was designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron. After the stadium, the path branches off to the left. It will take you to the Birs and then along the river, where one sports field follows another: football, basketball, volleyball, athletics, tennis and much more. Incidentally, the Birs separates the half-cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft here for a while.
Arriving at the Neuewelt hydroelectric power station, you have already been on the road for about one and a half hours. The power station in the Birs produces electricity for around 1,000 households. Continuing along the riverbank, you reach the Reinacher Heide nature reserve. After lengthy political processes, it was first declared a cantonal nature reserve in 1974 and then a nature reserve of national importance in 1994. The heathland is home to half of all plant species found in the canton and is characterised by gravel areas, dry meadows and alluvial forest. The dry meadows are reminiscent of a Mediterranean landscape on hot summer days. Dogs and bicycles are not allowed to cross the heathland.
Continuing along the Birs, the route leads past the second power station, Dornachbrügg, to the finish in Aesch. You are often surrounded by nature on this leg. At the same time, you feel the proximity to the city of Basel, which provides attractive housing space and a correspondingly dense transport network. In 1793, Aesch belonged to the Departement du Mont-Terrible (Schreckensberg) for a short period, and its inhabitants were French citizens. The village has been Swiss again since 1815 and has retained its rural character despite its proximity to the big city of Basel.
An enjoyable tour includes the careful planning of the same. Please inform yourself in advance at the local information center about the route and weather conditions. Depending on the season and weather conditions, this route may be blocked or interrupted
| Start location |
Basel
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|---|---|
| Destination |
Aesch (BL)
|
| Direction |
One way
|
| Ascent |
130 m
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| Descent |
100 m
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| Distance |
14 km
|
| Duration |
3 h 20 min
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| Duration back |
3 h 20 min
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| Technical requirements |
Easy
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| Physical requirements |
Medium
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| Season |
All year
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Quick Facts
Route number
