DE 
FR
Educational Karst Trail Overall View
Karstlehrpfad Kaltbrunnental-Brislachallmet
DE FR
Educational Karst Trail Overall View
Karstlehrpfad Kaltbrunnental-Brislachallmet
Public transport to Zwingen:
S3 from Basel: SBB every 30 min. Travel time: 22 min.
S3 from Laufen: every 30 min. Travel time: 3 min.
By car: Zwingen car park panel 1/2. 47.43542 7.5441
Large parts of Switzerland, also in the Jura, are karst areas.
Karst is the name of an area around Trieste. It is a generic term representing all related limestone landscapes with underground drainage. Water is always an important factor in karst. It penetrates, loosens and dissolves the hard stone through long exposure. It forms razor-sharp stone blades or funnel-shaped depressions on the surface. Gradually, complex cave systems are formed. The water flows into them, always looking for new ways to finally get into rivers or groundwater.
Presentation panel texts in format A4 Click here to download
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The Zwingen-Brislachallmet-Kaltbrunnen Valley area is ideal for gaining an insight into the interrelationship of the Karst.
There are swallow holes, springs, and the caves which are connected as an associated pipe system. The Bättlerloch is the longest cave in northwestern Switzerland. The caves of the Kaltbrunnental have long been the site of early historical relics.
In hardly any other area of Switzerland are all these phenomena present in such a small area and can be visited with little effort in a short time on a hike. This is a good opportunity to introduce the fantastic, but also sensitive, landscape under their feet to a wider public.
Presentation panels inform hikers and walkers on the karst nature trail about the peculiarities of the underground landscape and cave exploration.
The nature trail is signposted from Zwingen station in the direction of Schälloch, reaches the Kaltbrunnen Valley through Brislachallmet, follows it as far as the mouth, and ends in Grellingen.
A shorter way back to Zwingen is also indicated in Table 14.
No toilets at Zwingen train station!
The karst nature trail is an easy hike along signposted paths and is about 8 km long.
The pure walking time is about 2 to 3 hours. Since contact with possibly wet and muddy surfaces might occur, sturdy shoes and clothing that can get dirty are recomended so one can light-heartedly enjoy this fascinating world.
